My Life In A Display Case
Stuck in a corner of the “Public Opinion: Beyond the Headlines in Westerville” exhibit at the Westerville History Museum is me.
Well, a part that shows some of the memorabilia from my career as a news photographer.
At first glance, the display case appears to be a collection of old credentials, cameras, and press passes. To me, it looks like a portion of my working life.
Each badge, tag, and laminated pass once opened a door. A locker room. A convention hall. A football stadium. A presidential visit. A place where something was happening and where I was expected to show up, pay attention, and make a picture that told the story.
This exhibit is about my years with The Associated Press, from 1977 to 2004, when I worked as a photo editor and photographer in Atlanta and Columbus. During that time, I covered sports, political candidates, world events, and the everyday news that moved through my region. I also watched the tools of journalism change around me, from darkroom film processing to wire photo transmission to the first digital cameras.
The objects in the case are not just souvenirs. They are evidence of access, deadlines, long days, quick decisions, and the responsibility that came with carrying a camera for a news organization. A press pass may seem small, but at the time, it meant I had permission to stand close to events most people would only see later in a newspaper.
Years later, those tools sit behind glass. But the questions behind them are still alive. Who gets to tell the story? What do they choose to show? What do we remember? And what are we responsible for seeing?
“Public Opinion: Beyond the Headlines in Westerville” opens May 1 at the Westerville History Museum and continues through March 31, 2027.
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