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1955: Tragedy by the Sea:
April 2, 1954: Los Angeles Times photographer John Gaunt lounged in his front yard in Hermosa Beach, Calif., enjoying the sun. Then a neighbor called out. "There was sone excitement on the beach," Gaunt said. "I grabbed a Rolleiflex camera and ran."
Down by the water, Gaunt found a distraught young couple. Moments before, their 19-month-old son had been playing happily in their yard. Somehow, he wandered down to the beach and was swept away by the sea.
The little boy was gone. There was nothing anyone could do. Gaunt, who had a daughter about the same age, took four quick photographs of the grieving couple. "As I made the last exposure, they turned and walked away," he said. Later, the boys body was recovered from the surf. |