chuckography

Half a century...seriously?

 A reunion is a time to see people you haven't seen in a long time.

Fifty-four years IS quite a bunch!

This was a get together in San Diego with about 60 former and retired editorial staffers from the Union-Tribune newspaper.

Some worked for either the afternoon Tribune or the morning Union.

Some worked for the combined paper after the merger which meant the Tribune was no longer a separate paper.

I was a staff photographer from 1962 to 1969 and often started the day on a story for one paper and ended the day "working" for the other.

The above photo shows photographers L-R:  me, Thane MacIntosh (a 40-year veteran at the paper), Phil McMahan (who started the year before me and who led the Photo Lab after Thane retired) and Joe Holly who came to the paper right after I had left and gone to Los Angeles.

We all benefited from a newsy newsletter that was emailed almost every day to members of the 919 GANG.

Editor Jack Reber has compiled and distributed that online for more than a decade.

The Gang's name came from the street address of the paper's entrance at 919 Second Avenue when it was still downtown before I left and it later moved out to Mission Valley.

It seemed appropriate to shoot these "vintage" photos in black and white.

Rex Salmon came up with the idea of a reunion and issued updates as names came in from people who wanted to gather and see and chat with old buddies.

Not sure, but I may have flown the longest distance.

I was coming to my daughter's delayed wedding reception in Oakland on Saturday and the timing meant I could then fly down to San Diego for the festivities there on Monday afternoon.

I remember putting together the very first Photo Lab Christmas card, er, I mean, Season's Greetings photo holiday card in 1966.

Looking back 50 years, we were a good looking crew and I am very glad at least a few of us showed up for the reunion.

Another photo staffer who did come - Andy Brown - apparently was part of the lab but I didn't recall him until I dug up this card and saw his face. Sorry, Andy!

There were lively conversations about The Union vs The Evening Tribune before and after the merger in 1992.

There was fierce competition between the two papers operating out of the same building.

We might go out on an extended search-and-rescue as I did and each of the 3 days I was camped on site, my coverage would shift from one paper to the other as deadlines passed. I had to keep quiet about leads and details that I saw through the 24-hour cycle.

We photographers were encouraged to keep an eye out for a stand-alone feature photo that would be suitable for a caption-only use.

My young son got in the paper a lot - as did other photographer's children - when a space needed to be filled.

While in town for the U-T reunion, I drove up behind a car with a personal license tag and I snapped a picture.

I did not bother to get any quotes or comments from the driver. I believe his name is Randolph.

I am sure the Photo Editor would have declined to use it.

(Click on the photos and links for more details.)

I am glad I was in California and close enough to attend.

It was quite a weekend, a wedding soiree on Saturday and time travel on Monday in San Diego, going back half a century. Wow.

Of course, San Diego Bay had to be in color as I flew back up to Oakland.

Labels: 1992 merger, Balboa Park, deadlines, Flying Tiger airplane, I'm Randy, San Diego Bay, search-and-rescue, The Copley Papers, The Evening Tribune, The San Diego Union

posted by chuckography @ 12:18 AM