BEHIND THE SCENES

SERIES WAS MONTHS IN THE MAKING

He has also worked at newspapers in Tacoma, Wash., Spokane, Wash., and Jackson, Miss. He is a native of New Orleans and has a journalism degree from Louisiana State University.

Jeff Nesmith, 57, who teamed with Carollo on the series, began his newspaper career as a part-time reporter on the weekly Plant City (Fla.) Courier when he was 16 years old.

He joined The Atlanta Constitution as an obituary writer in 1964. He was an investigative reporter on the Philadelphia Bulletin for three years before joining the Cox Washington Bureau in 1977. Nesmith was born in Hillsboro County, Fla., and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism in 1963.

Skip Peterson, 46, was the chief photographer on the series. He is a Dayton native and has worked at the Dayton Daily News since 1973, and is currently the chief photographer.

He also worked for The Journal Herald, and his photographs have appeared in Life, Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated as well as in five volumes of The Best of Photojournalism. He holds a journalism degree from Ohio University.

John Hancock, 38, was the lead artist on the series. He has worked at the Dayton Daily News since 1992.

He graduated from the University of Missouri and has worked at various news organizations, including the Los Angeles Daily News, the Chicago Tribune and The Philadelphia Daily News. He also served as art director for the Associated Press. He was born near St. Louis, Mo.