William R. Smith, 90; Founder of Snapper...

William R. Smith, 90; Founder of Snapper Lawn Mower Maker

William R. Smith, 90, an engineer with no formal college training who taught at Georgia Tech and founded the manufacturer of Snapper self-propelled lawn mowers, died Saturday in McDonough, Ga., of a heart attack.

Smith worked in engineering jobs in Marietta, Ga., and New York, once helping to design interiors of the B-29 Superfortress bomber.

But he was always on the lookout for products to manufacture, and when he saw the self-propelled lawn mower built by Florida brothers Neal and Alex Smith -- no relation -- he bought their patents.

Because the mower looked like a turtle shell, Smith dubbed it Snapping Turtle, later shortening the name to Snapper. He built his company in his native Henry County, Ga., south of Atlanta, and made Snapper into the county’s largest employer. Smith even designed his company’s original logo -- a turtle in top hat, bow tie and spats.

Smith also became a major benefactor of his county.

He helped to establish a youth baseball program, fund education and provide a historic house for the county’s genealogical society.

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Floyd Fithian, 76; Congressman, Farmer, Purdue Professor

Floyd Fithian, 76, a former congressman, farmer and Purdue University history teacher, died Friday 27 at a retirement home in Annandale, Va., of unspecified causes.

A native of Vesta, Neb., Fithian was educated at Peru State College in his home state and the University of Nebraska and served as a lieutenant in the Navy. He taught at Nebraska Wesleyan College before moving to Lafayette, Ind., to teach at Purdue and farm.

Fiscally conservative, Fithian defeated Republican Earl Landgrebe in 1974, becoming the first Democrat to represent his Lafayette congressional district in 40 years.

He was also the first Democrat to win reelection in that district, and served a total of four terms, from 1975 to 1983.

After his district was eliminated by reapportionment, he unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) for his Senate seat.

Fithian never again sought political office but remained active on Capitol Hill, serving as chief of staff for then-Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.), until 1992.

He later worked for the Farm Credit Administration.

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Bernard Goldhirsh, 63; Established Sail and Inc. Magazines

Bernard A. Goldhirsh, 63, founder and former publisher of Sail and Inc. magazines, died of complications from a brain tumor Sunday in Boston.

Goldhirsh, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., began sailing while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduating in 1961, he directed the science department at New Prep, a private school in Cambridge, Mass.

He launched Sail in 1970, using $20,000 borrowed from friends to publish the first issue of the education-oriented consumer publication.

“People told me, ‘You can’t compete with Yachting [magazine],’ but we did,” he told the Boston Globe in 1995, 15 years after selling Sail for $10 million.

Goldhirsh, who was involved in several other publishing ventures, founded Inc. in 1979. He sold the “magazine for growing companies” in 2000 for an estimated $200 million and gave 10% of the proceeds to his employees.

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Khieu Ponnary -- The first wife of the late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot has died in Pailin, Cambodia. The cause of death was not reported. She was 83.