"Tragedy by the Sea" photo, 1954 and some more lovely photos

Today I came upon an article showing all kinds of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs. There was one titled "Tragedy by the Sea" that was taken by Los Angeles Times photographer John Gaunt. The moment was taken on Hermosa Beach on April 2, 1954. A commotion was stirring on the beach so Gaunt grabbed his camera and started shooting. On the beach stood Mr. and Mrs. John McDonald, holding each other. Their 19 month old son Michael had wandered from their beach home and drowned in the surf. Gaunt was there to capture the scene and in 1955, won the Pulitzer Price for the photo. The child was swept out to see by the surf and his body wasn't found until April 12 when it washed up on shore.

As a mother of two, my heart aches for parents! The parents were John and Lillian McDonald. John Angus McDonald Jr. was born on July 20, 1921 in Montrose, Colorado and died on August 25, 1987 in Rancho Palos Verde, California at the at age of 66. Lillian was born on May 28, 1923 in California and died on 03 Mar 2021 at the age of 97 years old.

The 19 month old child who drown was their one and only child at the time. Michael Lewis McDonald was born on August 28, 1952 in Los Angeles. John and Lillian went on to have 3 more children: Jennifer Ann (b. Oct 1954), Gordon A. (b. Dec 1956), and Holly J. (b. Jun 1958).

I also found some beautiful photos of Lillian's immediate family.

Lillian's Father/Michael's Grandfather-

Leslie Lawrence Prince (1900-1969)

Lillian's Mother/Michael's Grandmother

Dorothy Marion Walker Prince (1899-1984)

                                                        Lillian's Brother/Michael's Uncle

                                                        Lawrence Lewis Prince (1925-2003)

            Above is a photo of John Gaunt with his prize winning photo of the McDonalds

John Gaunt was the son of John L. Gaunt Sr. (1889-1963) and Blanche E. Schontz (1890-1968). John Jr. was born on June 4, 1924 in Syracuse, New York and died on October 26, 2007 in Desert Springs, California at the age of 83.