The last living journalist from the Emmett Till case dies

Dan Wakefield and LaTasha Boyd Jones. (Photo provided/LaTasha Boyd Jones) Dan Wakefield (May 21, 1932–March 13, 2024) was an American novelist, journalist, and screenwriter. His impactful career spanned various mediums, leaving an indelible mark on literature, television, and memoirs. To “One” America, Wakefield is most widely known as a novelist and a screenwriter. Author of several notable novels, and two gained that widespread recognition: “Going All the Way” (1970): This best-selling novel explored the complexities of friendship, love, and growing up in 1950s Indianapolis. The novel was later adapted into a feature film of which he wrote the screenplay. The film featured Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz, and Rose McGowan. The other, “Starting Over” (1973), is a novel that explores the complexities of divorce, loneliness, and the struggle to find connection in a changing world, also a film adaptation. Alternatively to “The Other” America, Wakefield is most widely known as the Indianapolis journalist who covered the trial of Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam, the two white men accused of savagely murdering the 14-year-old Black youth named Emmett Till. The details were gruesome: Till’s body had been found in the Tallahatchie River, a cotton gin fan tied around his neck with...