Passings

Paul Haeberlin

French chef of 3-star restaurant

Paul Haeberlin, 84, who founded one of France's oldest three-star Michelin restaurants and was once one of the world's top chefs, died Saturday at his home in Illhaeusern, France. Haeberlin had various ailments, including cardiac and kidney problems, said a spokesman for his L'Auberge de l'Ill restaurant.

Last year, the restaurant in the small village of Illhaeusern celebrated 40 unbroken years of three-star status, a rare feat. Haeberlin grew up in a restaurant and small country inn founded by his grandparents in the mid-1800s. As a teenager, he apprenticed as a chef in Paris. That original restaurant was destroyed by World War II bombing. Haeberlin and his brother Jean-Pierre, an artist, opened their restaurant on the site in 1950. The Michelin Guide, France's bible of gastronomy, awarded the restaurant's first star in 1952. The others came in 1957 and 1967. After Haeberlin retired about a decade ago, his son Marc took over.

Haeberlin was known for innovative takes on classics. Signature dishes included frog mousse and quail stuffed with calves sweetbread.

Douglas C. Wilson

Reporter got Nixon scoop

Douglas C. Wilson, 67, the reporter who broke the story that President Nixon would resign, died May 5 at his home in Amherst, Mass., the Providence Journal reported.

Wilson was the Journal's bureau chief on Aug. 7, 1974, and was writing a story on how the president was handling the stress of the Watergate scandal, which had broken more than two years earlier.

According to the Journal's obituary, Wilson called Baruch Korff, a rabbi from Rhode Island who was a Nixon confidant, for comment. Korff suggested a meeting with Wilson and told the reporter of the president's decision to step down. Wilson called his paper, and the scoop made that day's edition of the evening Journal. Nixon resigned the next day.

For his historic story, Wilson received the Merriman Smith Memorial Award from the White House Correspondents Assn.

Born in Providence, Wilson grew up in Bloomington, Ind., before graduating from Amherst College. He earned a master's degree in international studies from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

He worked for the Journal for 13 years before returning to Amherst, where he served as media spokesman and editor of the alumni magazine. He retired in 2003.