Bob Dial, Founding Member 1956

Many thanks to Bob for providing us with this image of him and his tastefully done 16 x 20 award winning figure study "Torso In High Key" shown with the trophies it won, or helpd to win, for Total Points (then equivalent to photographer of the year) and as print of the year; it also won an honorable mention at their first PSA Salon.

Only a short time following the inception of SPS Bob Dial and T. C. Smith were asked to form a Shreveport Chapter of the Professional Photographers of America, which they did. Bob has the plaque mounted charter for Chapter 9 dated August 4, 1962 hanging on his computer room wall; to be one of the first 10 is tall country, still.

Photo courtesy of Bob Dial

Thurman ( T. C.) Smith, Founding Member 1956

T. C. Smith is described as "The Consummate Gentleman" who NEVER blows his own horn but the accomplishments of this founding SPS member put him high on the list of Who's Who in photography from the Shreveport area. T. C. went on to serve through the chairs up to and including the presidency of the Professional Photographers of Louisiana as well as the Southwestern Photographers Association which includes Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Thurman C. Smith Photography
2020 Market St.
Shreveport, LA 71101
318-425-8767
tcsphoto@bellsouth.net

Photo courtesy of Eric Sorensen

Gordon Maxcy, Founding Member 1956

Gordon Maxcy's biographical sketch was provided by Bob Dial

Gordon Maxcy was the second individual Bob solicited to help get SPS started and he complied. Gordon was "Maxcy" to everyone and half the city had no idea what his given name was.

At the old Tri-State Hospital located at the intersection of Greenwood Road and Virginia Avenue in the old Queensboro section, now a Willis-Knighton property, Gordon shot the first live operation from a stepladder in the operating room. He used a 16mm Bell&Howell DL70 camera. When the film was viewed, doctors "went ape". Skipping all the red tape in getting the opportunity, Maxcy made the most of it. His film was so much better for the teaching elements than actually watching from the viewing area hospitals provided for their "in training" purposes.

He then initiated photography with biopsy materials and did "before and after" pictures of unusual medical cases of vastly assorted natures. In short, he led the area and most of the state in establishing photography as a highly viable tool in medical treatment. There's so much more to add but let it suffice to jump ahead to when Gordon headed a major hospital's specialized department with a number of assistants and was given an appreciation banquet by the Shreveport Medical Society when he retired.

On a personal note, Maxcy and I became close friends in my later teens, before he married. We often did special projects, some like making huge mural prints when no one else in town was doing them. City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce used some like wall paper to adorn the walls of their meeting rooms.

We had a habit of making midnight raids on an all-night icecream, malt and coffee shop at Greenwood Rd. and Hearn Ave. that originally had been a Jo-Ann's Ice Cream business. A fellow by the name of Bruce Jones owned it later and kept a Myna Bird that whistled at all the cute girls who came in and said a few "spoken lines" he'd been taught. It wasn't unusual for some of the ladies to turn beet red with blush! Their juke box selections were then installed in the booths, and Maxcy had a thing for a popular ditty then going strong, the main lyrics "...my heart goes where the wild goose goes, mother goose, brother goose, which is best?" It brings back great memories. I wasn't able to attend Maxcy's funeral but that song should have been played very softly, in the background!

Among other things, Maxcy introduced me to the Wabash Sylvania strobe unit. He had the Studio Model. His was the first one I'd seen with enough power to replace common peanut flashbulbs. It was powered by a pair of ER-6-2B wet cell batteries and fired a flash duration of about 1/5000th second. I bought one of my own pretty shortly after seeing his. Gordon took portraits of my then girlfriend, whom I later married, with Gordon taking the wedding pictures. Our close association took a long break when Korea came. Along with a lot of other guys who belonged to the US Marine Reserves I left Shreveport to serve on active duty in August, 1950.

Photo courtesy of Bob Dial

HanK Rush (right), Founding Member 1956

From left to right in this photo of the annual winners from the Shreveport Camera Club, 1955, are Bob Dial, C. W. Lloyd and Henry L. "Hank" Rush with their prints and awards.

Bob and Hank Rush acted as co-founders of the Shreveport Photographic Society and then as co-chairmen of the first PSA approved salon ever held in Louisiana history.

Photo courtesy of Bob Dial

Hank Rush's biographical sketch was provided by Bob Dial.

Hank was a family man, quiet and unassuming, but exacting in the things he chose to do. He worked as an Advalorem Tax Accountant for Texas Eastern Transmission. He married a wonderful lady named Katherine and they had two children, a boy Hanky and a girl, Sandy. Katherine taught me to spot black and white prints faster and less detectably than the instructions which came with the Spotone product. She also had a penchant for good picture ideas and often was the prod that got Hank going on a project. If Hank had any character flaws he kept them well hidden because he got along famously with everyone, and was well liked.

Their home and ours were only a couple of blocks apart so each Saturday morning we usually were into gold toning prints or some other photographic activity. Katherine would turn their children's TV programs on and away we three would go into planning or execution, and sometimes just studying the style of prints certain judges found irresistable. My work day normally was 2pm to 10pm at the TIMES, seven days a week and calling in a phone number where I could be reached should a breaking news event pop up outside that time. Hank's work hours were 8 to 5, five days a week. So Saturday morning was about the only time we had to work on projects, and Katie didn't mind because half the time she was into them, too! The picture of Hank and his award with the top Pictorial Print of the Year he's holding is a picture of his son, Hanky. When we tried to steer the prevailing Shreveport Camera Club into a more Salon oriented direction, some regular members were outspoken in opposition. Rather than argue we sidestepped, got some talent together and formed the Shreveport Photographic Society. All of us who also were members of SCC continued to attend their meetings and as individuals there expressed interest in getting into SPS we'd hold a vote. If no one was opposed, they were then invited to join.

At some point the membership by invitation was recinded and from what I've been told most active members of SCC started paying dues to SPS. Richard Sparkes might be able to shed light on that matter, but in no way were Hank and I trying to harm the camera club. We simply had different goals. Hank wasn't the type to try to harm anyone or anything. Both groups were enhanced by his presence.

Richard Sparke, Active Member since 1957

Photo courtesy of Eric Sorensen

VISIT SHEENA HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY

Sheena was a member of the Shreveport Photographic Society while a student attending college in the Shreveport area. She now owns and operates her own photographic service, Sheena Harper Photography, which is based in Colorado Springs and specializes in inventive wedding photojournalism and creative high school senior portraiture. Sheena is an active member of the Professional Photographers of Colorado and the Professional Photographers of America.

...she also offers affordable destination weddings, especially to her home town of Shreveport!