Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The best of the best

Gerry, Wesley and I are just getting home from Alabama after a brief trip to attend the memorial for Associated Press photographer, Dave Martin. This room was filled with the best of the best. AP photographers, editors and writers that have documented the events of our world, some of them for over 30 years, some of them Pulitzer Prize winners. Many of them have covered wars, Super Bowls, hurricanes, elections, countless sporting events and news events, and on and on. If you have looked at a photo in a magazine or a newspaper, or online, chances are it was one of theirs.

For one brief moment in time, they all came together to honor one of their own, all of them sharing a love and respect for a fellow photographer that taught them so much. Even the Governor of Alabama showed up. I was overwhelmed with the talent in this room and filled with respect and admiration for what they do. As the wife of an AP photographer and the mother of an AP kid, I also shared a common sadness for Dave's wife and children. I saw the respect and admiration these people had for this man lift that family up. As each person spoke about Dave, there was laughter and love and strength passed on to his wife, his daughter, and his son. As we watched the slideshow that was prepared, we witnessed the work of a talented photographer that has documented for us our history during the past decades. We were blessed to have him as a witness to the events of our time here on Earth.

We are home now with our hearts full and looking ahead to a year filled with promise and thoughts of how short our time here really is. I can only hope to touch a fraction of the lives that Dave Martin did and to somehow make a small contribution while I am here.......

peace ya'll
xo

5 comments:

Dennis Allen said...

Beautifully written Tracey. It does make you think about the people who went to war armed with a Speed Graphic camera or an Underwood typewriter.

Tracey Broome said...

The folks that did that were super humans, Dennis! I can't even figure out my simple digital camera some days!

Sandy Miller said...

A sad day but a joy to read....... Thanks.

Tracey Broome said...

Hey Sandy, somehow it wasn't all sad. There was a lot of laughter,Dave was a really funny guy and loved to have a good time.

Susan Wells said...

Cool images Tracey.