Sir Edmund Hillary Dead at 88

55 years after he became the first to scale the 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary has died in his native New Zealand.

Since conquering Everest, Hillary led a rich and active life of achievement. His lengthy obituary can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/world/asia/11cnd-hillary.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp