WASHINGTON, DC (January 10, 2008) - Photojournalist Charles Tasnadi died tonight while in hospice care in Washington, DC, the White House News Photographers Association announced. Tasnadi, a refugee from Communist Hungary in 1951, was an accomplished photographer who in his early years worked as a stringer for Time-Life before an illustrious 32-year career with the Associated Press, where he took some of AP's most famous images of American leaders and historical political events.
"Chivalry, professionalism, and selfless dedication were Tasnadi’s hallmarks," WHNPA business director Heidi Elswick said tonight. "The epitome of a photojournalist and a gentleman, he documented seven White House administrations and traveled to Cuba more than 40 times, gaining extraordinary access to Fidel Castro and other Cuban officials."
A public funeral service is planned for Tuesday, January 15, 2008, at 12 noon EST at St. Ann's Catholic Church, 4400 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC. The church is at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue NW and Yuma Street. Private burial services will follow the Mass.
"In 1951 Tasnadi and his sweetheart, Maria, fled Communist Hungary through treacherous minefields, barbed wire, and heavy snow," Elswick said. AP reported that Tasnadi, his girlfriend, and others slipped past guard towers and "one border guard who simply looked away," according to the photographer's daughter, Diana. Tasnadi also recalled crawling across a minefield, making sure to put his elbows and knees in the same spots as the man crawling ahead of him. They made it to a refugee camp in Austria.
The photographer once said of his escape, "That memory really helped me put a better perspective on deadline pressures."
Tasnadi was born Karoly Tasnadi in Ajka, Hungary, on March 1, 1925. Unable to get into the United States from Austria, he and his girlfriend married and moved to Venezuela where he had relatives. The story goes that Tasnadi asked a taxi driver to take him to a newspaper office, where he got photography assignments and launched his journalism career before coming to the States and going to work for AP.
As for the recognition he received, Tasnadi had said, “Coming from Hungary I have often wondered what all these honors are about. People honor me just by allowing me to do my work.” This couldn’t have been truer than it was in 1989 when Tasnadi returned to Hungary for the first time after 38 years while traveling with President George H. W. Bush in Air Force One. Once they landed, Tasnadi said that he hid his tears behind his camera, determined to get good pictures of the president.
"Charlie was a graceful photographer, a generous colleague and a complete gentleman. The arc of his life tracked the sweep of world history in the 20th century, yet he will be remembered most for a thousand daily kindnesses," said Kathleen Carroll, AP senior vice president and executive editor.
In January of 1996, while working his last press conference before retirement, he was truly honored again when President William J. Clinton started a round of applause, thanking Tasnadi for his great pictures and years of exemplary service.
Some of Tasnadi's iconic photographs from the White House beat include President Lyndon B. Johnson holding up his shirt to show reporters his surgical scar; President Richard Nixon shaking hands with supporters while campaigning, but paying attention to his watch instead of the man he's shaking hands with; and Nixon meeting with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
In 1996 the White House News Photographers Association honored Tasnadi, who was known for always wearing a coat and tie while working, with its award for Lifetime Achievement in photojournalism.
Tasnadi is survived by his widow, Maria, and his daughter, both of Washington, DC. AP said that Tasnadi was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy.
