Sam Summerlin

Sam Summerlin (January 1, 1928 – February 27, 2017) was an American journalist, author and foreign correspondent. He was best known for his time as an Associated Press correspondent from 1949 to 1975.[1] On July 27, 1953, while working as an AP war correspondent, Summerlin became the first journalist to report on the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement which ended the Korean War.[1]

He was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on January 1, 1928.[1] He received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina before joining the staff of the Associated Press as a journalist in 1949.[1] In 1951, the AP sent him to cover the Korean War as a foreign correspondent when he was 23-years old, becoming one of the youngest journalists to cover the conflict.[1]

Summerlin left the Associated Press in 1975 to take the position of president and chairman of the news service and syndicate at the New York Times.[1] He also authored several books, including The China Cloud and Latin America: Land of Revolution.[1]

Sam Summerlin died from complications of Parkinson's disease at a nursing home in Carlsbad, California, on February 27, 2017, at the age of 89.[1]