Neal Hirsh Ulevich (born June 18, 1946) is an American
photographer
A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs.
Duties and types of photographers
As in other ...
. He won a
Pulitzer Prize in 1977 for "photographs of disorder and brutality in the streets of Bangkok".
[
]
Life
Ulevich was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, where he attended public and private schools before enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
, where he graduated in 1968 with a BA degree in Journalism. While there, he began a career-long association with Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
, first as a campus correspondent, later as part-time staff. Ulevich developed a strong interest in China while a student, a fascination that determined the direction of his career.
After graduation, he worked for AP as a writer in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, before resigning to study Chinese in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
. In 1970 friends and associates in journalism urged him to travel to Indochina to witness the U.S. incursion into Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
, assuring him the cross-border operation would herald "the last two weeks of the war".
The advice was premature. Ulevich witnessed the last two weeks of the Indochina war in April, 1975. During the interim he freelanced as both writer and photojournalist and rejoined AP in the Saigon, Vietnam, bureau. He returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
fellowship in journalism, later resuming his AP work in Saigon. He covered the chaotic evacuation from Saigon at war’s end, departing by helicopter from the roof of the U.S. embassy.
An AP assignment to Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
followed. A worsening political situation in 1976 culminated in violent confrontation at Thammasat University
Thammasat University ( Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the Grand Pala ...
in the Thai capital. There he captured images that won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.
After leaving Thailand, Ulevich worked for AP as Asia Photo Editor in Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and as photojournalist in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. He returned to Tokyo in 1988 to supervise AP’s electronic communications for Asia.
Ulevich returned to the United States in 1990. He retired from AP to resume freelance photography in 2002. He lives in Thornton, Colorado
The City of Thornton is a home rule municipality located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 141,867, all in Adams County, at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of +19.44% since the 2010 United ...
, a suburb of Denver.
Awards
* 1985 World Press Photo
World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding an annual press photography contest. Since 2011, World Press Photo has organized a ...
, 3rd Prize, Arts and Entertainment
* 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. From 2000 it has used the "breaking news" name but it is considered a continuation of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photogr ...
Works
"Hanged student outside the Thammasat" ''World Press Photo'' Spot News, 3rd prize, 1976
*
References
External links
*
"Noise at the Edge of Silence"
- Wisconsin Alumni Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulevich, Neal
Artists from Madison, Wisconsin
American photographers
Photography in Vietnam
Pulitzer Prize for Photography winners
University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni
1942 births
Living people
People from Thornton, Colorado
University School of Milwaukee alumni