Departures of note

Slava "Sal" Veder was an American photojournalist who spent a three-decade career at the Associated Press, from 1961 until his retirement in 1993. He covered a wide range of consequential political moments and figures, including Dianne Feinstein's election as mayor of San Francisco, Angela Davis during her trial, Patty Hearst after her arrest, and members of the Black Panther Party, as well as major disasters and national events of the 1960s and 1970s.

Veder is best remembered for his 1973 photograph "Burst of Joy," which captured U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm reuniting with his family at Travis Air Force Base after five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. The image, taken amid a crowd of photographers competing for shots of returning POWs, became one of the most recognizable photographs of the Vietnam War's human aftermath and won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.

Born in Berkeley, California, Veder was largely self-taught and began his reporting career in local journalism before moving into photography. After retiring, he lived in the Sierra foothills near Placerville, California, and volunteered with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He died at his home in El Dorado County on August 22, 2026, eight days short of his 100th birthday.