Bob Fitch ’61 Memorialized by the New York Times
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Bob Fitch BS ’61, who died last Saturday, was recognized for his achievements in photojournalism in the May 3 issue of the New York Times. Fitch’s photographs, recently archived and exhibited at Stanford University, document many of America’s greatest 20th-century human rights campaigns.
The powerful Martin Luther King monument on the National Mall is based on Fitch’s portrait of King. Another one of his portraits—of Mexican American and farmworker rights leader César Chávez—was adapted by the U.S. Postal Service for a commemorative stamp issued in 2003.
“Photojournalism seduced me,” Fitch once wrote. “It is a compelling combination of visual aesthetics, potent communication, and storytelling. In order to tell the story effectively, one has to be there—close! It was my way to support the organizing for social justice that was transforming history, our lives and future.”
Lewis & Clark’s Board of Alumni recently selected Fitch for the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Fitch’s son, Jaxson Ravens, accepted the award on his father’s behalf at a banquet on February 19.
Read more about Bob Fitch in last fall’s issue of Lewis & Clark’s Chronicle magazine.
