Jim Whittaker, first American to summit Everest, dies at 97 in Washington.

Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest in 1963, has died at age 97 in Port Townsend, Washington. A celebrated mountaineer and former president of REI, he grew the outdoor cooperative's membership and advocated for wilderness preservation. Whittaker was a close friend of Robert Kennedy and led the 1990 Everest International Peace Climb.