Hyfler/Rosner
2004-09-27 13:09:56 UTC
McEachern leaves behind a photographic legacy of countless
stars and celebrities and every president from Franklin D.
Roosevelt to George Bush.
By Teddy Allen Shreveport Times
Henry Langston McEachern's life was a picture of devotion to
his church, his family and his work.
McEachern, 86, a lifelong Shreveporter, was The Times' first
chief photographer and served as the newspaper's photo
editor for nearly four decades before retiring in July 1983.
He was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in July and
died early Saturday morning at Grace Home.
"His church, family and work, he loved,' said Lloyd Stilley,
who became the third staff photographer at The Times when
McEachern hired him in spring of 1956. The two worked
together for nearly 30 years.
"I learned a lot of photography from him. But more than
that, I just learned a lot about how to live.'
"Mac' was an aggressive, go-get-it type of photographer who
demanded excellence from himself and from his staff, Stilley
said.
"If anybody was going to get the picture, it was going to be
Mac,' he said. "It could be an important shot or a little
bitty thing, it didn't matter; he wanted you to come back
with a good picture. And if you didn't,
Services
Visitation for Henry Langston McEachern, 86, of Shreveport
will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at
Osborn Funeral Home on Southern Avenue in Shreveport.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist
Church of Shreveport, where he was a member for more than 50
years and served as a deacon for 36 years. Interment will be
in Forest Park Cemetery immediately afterward.
he wanted to know why.'
"My job was to represent everybody that couldn't be there,'
McEachern told The Times in 1999. "I always thought of it as
making history.'
Times Photo Editor Mike Silva was given his first job by
McEachern in 1980. The two shared a love of photography
through the years and supported each other's work, attending
each other's shows and talking often of "old-time'
photography and the rapidly changing field.
"He remained a friend right up until the end,' said Silva.
"That's what I think of, more than photography, when I think
of Langston. I think of someone you could call a true
friend.'
McEachern was born June 17, 1918, graduated from C. E. Byrd
High School and was attending the University of Alabama when
he joined the military. He was an Army photographer whose
wartime pictures appeared in Life and Time magazines.
"We used to laugh about this all the time,' Stilley said.
"The military sent him to Colorado to teach him how to
snowski. And then instead of sending him to Germany, they
sent him to the South Pacific.'
The job, McEachern once said, "grew on him.' And he ended up
in the newspaper business in his hometown after the war.
McEachern and his wife, Robbie, celebrated their 60th
wedding anniversary in January. The two were married in 1944
while McEachern was on leave. They have one son, Robin L.
McEachern of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
McEachern was a charter member of the National Press
Photographers Association and won many awards for his work.
He took photographs of every president from Franklin D.
Roosevelt to George Bush and photographed countless stars
and celebrities, including a young Elvis Presley performing
at the Louisiana Hayride.
McEachern's work will continue to be enjoyed by both
photography students and lovers of the art; he donated many
of his photographs and negatives to the LSUS archives.
©The Shreveport Times
September 26, 2004
stars and celebrities and every president from Franklin D.
Roosevelt to George Bush.
By Teddy Allen Shreveport Times
Henry Langston McEachern's life was a picture of devotion to
his church, his family and his work.
McEachern, 86, a lifelong Shreveporter, was The Times' first
chief photographer and served as the newspaper's photo
editor for nearly four decades before retiring in July 1983.
He was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in July and
died early Saturday morning at Grace Home.
"His church, family and work, he loved,' said Lloyd Stilley,
who became the third staff photographer at The Times when
McEachern hired him in spring of 1956. The two worked
together for nearly 30 years.
"I learned a lot of photography from him. But more than
that, I just learned a lot about how to live.'
"Mac' was an aggressive, go-get-it type of photographer who
demanded excellence from himself and from his staff, Stilley
said.
"If anybody was going to get the picture, it was going to be
Mac,' he said. "It could be an important shot or a little
bitty thing, it didn't matter; he wanted you to come back
with a good picture. And if you didn't,
Services
Visitation for Henry Langston McEachern, 86, of Shreveport
will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at
Osborn Funeral Home on Southern Avenue in Shreveport.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist
Church of Shreveport, where he was a member for more than 50
years and served as a deacon for 36 years. Interment will be
in Forest Park Cemetery immediately afterward.
he wanted to know why.'
"My job was to represent everybody that couldn't be there,'
McEachern told The Times in 1999. "I always thought of it as
making history.'
Times Photo Editor Mike Silva was given his first job by
McEachern in 1980. The two shared a love of photography
through the years and supported each other's work, attending
each other's shows and talking often of "old-time'
photography and the rapidly changing field.
"He remained a friend right up until the end,' said Silva.
"That's what I think of, more than photography, when I think
of Langston. I think of someone you could call a true
friend.'
McEachern was born June 17, 1918, graduated from C. E. Byrd
High School and was attending the University of Alabama when
he joined the military. He was an Army photographer whose
wartime pictures appeared in Life and Time magazines.
"We used to laugh about this all the time,' Stilley said.
"The military sent him to Colorado to teach him how to
snowski. And then instead of sending him to Germany, they
sent him to the South Pacific.'
The job, McEachern once said, "grew on him.' And he ended up
in the newspaper business in his hometown after the war.
McEachern and his wife, Robbie, celebrated their 60th
wedding anniversary in January. The two were married in 1944
while McEachern was on leave. They have one son, Robin L.
McEachern of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
McEachern was a charter member of the National Press
Photographers Association and won many awards for his work.
He took photographs of every president from Franklin D.
Roosevelt to George Bush and photographed countless stars
and celebrities, including a young Elvis Presley performing
at the Louisiana Hayride.
McEachern's work will continue to be enjoyed by both
photography students and lovers of the art; he donated many
of his photographs and negatives to the LSUS archives.
©The Shreveport Times
September 26, 2004