Richard Stolley — seen here helping Zsa Zsa Gabor through the remains of her home after it was destroyed by a 1961 brush fire — is something of a legend in the magazine world. He started at LIFE in 1953 as a reporter, went on to become an editor and eventually its top editor for three years, working at the magazine until it closed as a weekly in 1972. That period of powerful events and iconic images left him with no shortage of stories to tell. This gallery features some of Stolley's favorite photographs from stories he worked on during his years at LIFE, with captions written by Stolley himself.