Riddle, Perry

Perry Riddle was born in May 1937 in Hunter, Kansas. From an early age, he developed an interest in photography that guided his career.

He attended the University of Kansas, where he served as a staff photographer for the University Daily Kansan.

Riddle joined the photography staff of the Topeka Capital-Journal in 1962. On June 8, 1966, his photographs captured the drama of an F5 tornado that passed diagonally through Topeka.

In 1968, Riddle joined the photography staff of the Chicago Daily News. His coverage of the anti-war protests during the Democratic National Convention received worldwide recognition and is included in the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City.

The National Press Photographers Association named Riddle Photographer of the Year in 1969.

After the Chicago Daily News closed in 1978, Riddle joined the staff of the Chicago Sun-Times.

He later joined the Los Angeles Times in the mid-1980s. From 1985 to 1991, his recurring column, “Reflections,” appeared in the Times’ Valley Edition and profiled people he met in Los Angeles.

Riddle taught photojournalism at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He was twice invited to serve on the faculty of the Missouri Photo Workshop.

Riddle died in April 2017.