Frederic Coonradt; USC Journalism Professor

Frederic Coonradt, 82, USC journalism professor who introduced columnist Jack Smith to Baja California. A native of Oregon, Coonradt earned his degrees at Stanford and then moved to Los Angeles, where he taught at USC for most of his career. Coonradt and his late wife, veteran investigative reporter Sara Boynoff, were neighbors of the Smiths on Mt. Washington for many years, and frequently were mentioned in Smith’s columns. Often referred to as “Dalton,” Coonradt earned column credits for identifying strange birds in their secluded neighborhood. He also acquainted the Smiths with Baja, which led to their building a vacation home there and to Smith’s book, “God and Mr. Gomez.” On Wednesday in Pasadena.