Heinz, W(ilfred) C(harles)

▪ 2009

      American journalist and novelist

born Jan. 11, 1915, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

died Feb. 27, 2008, Bennington, Vt.

helped usher in New Journalism, which emerged in the 1970s and combined traditional reporting with fiction. Heinz developed an understated yet penetrating writing style that captivated readers of his sports columns (for the New York Sun newspaper), war correspondent reports, and novels. One of his most memorable stories, The Morning They Shot the Spies (1949), described his firsthand account of the firing-squad execution of three Germans caught infiltrating U.S. lines during World War II. His books related to sports include Run to Daylight! (1963, with Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi), Once They Heard the Cheers (1979), and What a Time It Was (2001). Among his novels are The Professional (1958), The Surgeon (1963), and MASH (1968, written with H. Richard Hornberger under the pseudonym Richard Hooker).

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