The "Haunting Memory" Story

It was an ordinary day. And, I have this photo in my head. Think about it often. Years ago, when I taught school, I taught a unit on famous photographers. One of them was W. Eugene Smith. Ever hear of him? In 1936, at the age of 18, he entered Notre Dame University where his pictures so impressed the faculty that a special scholarship was created for him. A year later he joined the staff of Newsweek Magazine, but was fired within a year for using a smaller camera than they wanted him to use. He then turned to freelance work and in 1939 signed a retainer with Life Magazine, but by 1941 he resigned from Life so he could do more creative work. Then came WWII and he became a war correspondent for Ziff-Davis and later for Life. His images of the war are considered some of the best war photos ever taken. In 1944 he was wounded and spent two painful years recovering. His first photo in 1946, taken of his two young children and titled "A Walk To Paradise Garden", served as the final photo in the famous "Family of Man" Exhibition. He eventually did many photo essays for Life Magazine that redefined the meaning of the term Photojournalism. Eugene was considered the master of photojournalism. Well, one of his photos from an essay in Spain is of a man who had just died. A few woman are viewing the man when Gene entered and made three exposures. It is a photo that has stuck with me for years and years. When my father died almost three years ago, I arrived at Moravian Manor in Lititz, PA just after he had died. As I entered his room he was lying on the bed with my mom sitting next to him, accompanied by a few of the staff from the nursing section. The room was dimly lit and seemed very eerie. Very haunting! I immediately remembered the W. Eugene Smith photo taken almost 60 years before. The photo was in black and white and what I was viewing in my dad's room seemed black and white. To this day I still remember the two scenes as almost the same. It was as if I had viewed the same photo over again. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: photojournalist Gene Smith, Gene in his darkroom, photo taken about 5 years ago of my mom and dad celebrating Christmas with us. Dad had the the most beautiful baritone voice and shared it with everyone. I still get comments about how people were moved by his singing. Love you Dad!

The following "You Tube" video is part 1 of 9 depicting the life of W. Eugene Smith. The photo that I remember from time to time is close to the beginning of the video. You will know which one when you see it. If you care to view more of Gene's work, continue with the series, as they are all linked together.