Searching for Answers in the 1961 Death of an Ayn Rand Follower

Alex Vadukul (thanks, Klink): Joanne O'Connor keeps a three-ring binder as thick as a cinder block to contain the story that echoes through her head. It is stuffed with her research about a young woman she never met who died more than 50 years ago. She has trouble explaining why obsession gripped her so, but she does know: "I had to find out what happened."

Ms. O'Connor is a 61-year-old wedding and events planner who lives with her cat and dog in a small, elegant Kips Bay apartment. Six years ago, she found herself pondering her building's history, but no one living there remembered much. Nor did her landlord. So she called the Buildings Department while at work one day.

She will never forget …