In late September, my 37-year run at the Valley News ended. Hired as a staff photographer in September 1989, I covered countless high school games and documented news events and feature stories. I also drove thousands of miles looking for stand-alone photos.
For over 25 years, I was also a photo editor and, toward the end of my time, one of three newsroom leaders. For nearly 25 years, I also helped run a photo internship program that was a stop on the journey for so many successful photographers.
Through it all, I learned so much under the guidance and trust of five editors-in-chief and four publishers. I was willing to do whatever it took to help get the newspaper out every day, working with so many talented photographers, reporters and editors.
In May, the fifth publisher I worked for decided I should strictly be a page designer instead of a newsroom manager. I gave it a go for four months, and concluded it wasn’t for me. It’s time to move on to new challenges and projects.
Here are a few of my favorite photos (with a bit of commentary) from over the years.
In October 1990, campaign manager Ed Flanagan checks his watch as Vermont gubernatorial candidate Peter Welch reviews his notes in a practice room minutes before a television debate with his opponents at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt. Spending time with Welch was such a memorable experience for me as he crisscrossed the state on the campaign trail — I even helped with the driving!
Racing legend Richard Petty visited Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, Vt., in June 1992, during his last season of racing. It was a treat to cover the Hall of Famer because I grew up watching him race on TV.
A portrait of Ernest Hebert exploding from a swamp was a collaboration with the author – Ernie mentioned it was part of the opening scene in his 1993 book “Mad Boys.” We had a great time trying over and over to get the shot just right (before digital!).
Fourth-grader Kathryn Harris, 9, tries out a trombone during a demonstration of band instruments by David Ellis of Ellis Music Co. at Marion Cross Elementary School in Norwich, Vt., in March 1994. Kathryn’s expression made the photo memorable, and the AP wire published it nationally.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton listens to an interviewer’s question during an editorial board with the Valley News in November 2007. I used a “grid spot” attachment on the lighting equipment to match her serious stature.
Learning about the phases of the moon, Samuel Morey Elementary fourth-graders Lauren Holt and Collin Gould hold Styrofoam balls toward a light bulb in Fairlee, Vt., in February 2009. I couldn’t believe my dumb luck when the class filed into a darkened closet to run the experiment!
Parked at the junkyard’s fence line in Orford, N.H., in November 2009, a 1957 Chevrolet station wagon faces out to a neighbor’s field in honor of its owner, a friend of yard owner Jim McGoff’s who died young. I brought lighting equipment to highlight the unusual cars Jim had. I was lucky to have the opportunity to do photo projects from time to time.
Dried mud covers typewriter keys that were under five feet of water at the Vermont Standard office in West Woodstock, Vt., in August 2011, during Tropical Storm Irene. I did a very small part of the extensive photo coverage the Valley News did of the disaster that hit the Upper Valley.
Nicole Cormen, center, asks Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, left, at Kilton Library in West Lebanon, N.H., in November 2011. Cormen, a Lebanon City Councilor, wanted to know Huntsman’s alternative if Congress repealed President Obama’s healthcare law. The New Hampshire Primary gives voters (and the media) a chance to get an up-close look at presidential candidates.
With puddles remaining from the fall’s wet weather, Bob Bushway, of South Strafford, Vt., plows with his 1980 Allis Chalmers AC 5040 in Royalton, Vt., in October 2012. The Central Vermont Tractor Club gets together for their annual plowing day, another photo project I enjoyed covering.
Lisa McCrory, of Bethel, Vt., leads her Jersey cow, Cocoa, to the pasture’s edge to milk her early in the morning in October 2013. Milking the cow once a day, McCrory said she gets about 2 1/2 gallons of raw milk a day to sell to neighbors and for her family to use at Earthwise Farm and Forest. Documentary photography was the bedrock of the Valley News photography team; authentic moments like this are the reward.
For the themed issue about beer for Enterprise, the Valley News’ business magazine, I collaborated with editor and page designer Amanda Newman about how to make the illustration work for the cover design in September 2016. Working with my newsroom compatriots to achieve the best possible outcome is a memory I will always cherish.
Stevens High School sophomore Derrick Stanhope, center, cheers with a capacity crowd watching the NHIAA Division III boys basketball state championship with Kearsarge in Manchester, N.H., in March 2017. It was so full that people watched the game on TV in an overflow gym. It was a high-energy game and a lot of fun to cover.
As the sun sets towards the end of practice, Newport quarterback Marius Edwards hands off to running back Josh Sharron in Newport, N.H., in November 2020. The brilliant orange sunset was an unusual moment; I think the photo made it to the front page.
As cardboard cutouts replaced spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mascoma’s Connor Thompson saved the ball from going out of bounds during the first half of their game against Lebanon in West Canaan, N.H., in January 2021. The pandemic was difficult to cover because healthcare organizations wouldn’t allow access. Moments like these still show how out of the ordinary it all was.
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May not be reprinted without permission