It's Hard to "Keep Grinnin’" Today
December/01/2007
The photographic community, particularly those who participate in print competition, have suffered a painful loss with the passing of of our beloved Buddy Stewart, chairman of PPA's Print Exhibition Committee. As word spread that Buddy had died from a massive heart attack, after having battled brain cancer since last April, expressions of love and loss have poured in from literally thousands of those whose lives he has touched. It's rare to read such eloquent, heart-felt statements that carry a common theme: None of us can imagine a world without Buddy.
Last June, when a cancer-related blood clot kept Buddy from attending the International Print Competition, where he would have served as Overall Jury Chairman, we all felt Buddy's presence. As an expression of how much the jurors loved and missed Buddy, we posed for our official portrait wearing "Keep Grinnin'" ball caps as a tribute to Buddy's famous "sign-off" line and to that ubiquitous grin that was the hallmark of his personality. I bet you'll see more than a few of those ball caps at ImagingUSA in January!
As Buddy is being remembered, it seems like everyone has a special story. I have two such remembrances:
I got to spend some time with Buddy and Lola in Korea in 2005, when PEC ran the first PPA print competition in Asia. Buddy was Jury Chairman for the event, and he ran the competition with high professionalism and his usual good humor. To say that the Korean photographers loved Buddy and his Mississippi accent is an understatement! In spite of the ever-present language barrier, they appreciated the patient manner in which Buddy and his judges conducted the competition . . . assuring that every print got a fair shake and that the Korean photographers gained a good grasp of of the PPA judging system.
I attended the event in Korea in my capacity as PPA President, and after a while I told Buddy that I felt a bit like a fifth wheel, as I was no longer an active PPA-Approved juror; I confided that I hated sitting on the sidelines. I had found it impossible to stay active in print competition during my later years of service on the PPA Board, so I had bowed out Buddy was quick to encourage me to start entering again and to apply for reinstatement. He also was very complimentary about some images I had made on a recent trip to Ireland, especially one of a steam locomotive chugging its way across Killarney farmland. I didn't know it at the time, but Buddy was an avid train buff. Well . . . I was more than a little nervous about entering again . . . especially since I had never entered a digital print, let alone a scenic. With Buddy's gentle prodding and some additional encouragement from Helen Yancy, I decided to enter in 2006. When three of my scenics hung, I was as excited as the first time I received a print merit. I believe Buddy was genuinely thrilled for me as well, because after the judging was over, he called personally to congratulate me on the prints and later for being reinstated as a Approved Jurror. That's Buddy for you. I could literally HEAR him ginning when he said, "I told you that train scene was good." Today that image is very precious to me. I had entitled it "Sentimental Journey," but now in my mind it will always be "Buddy's Train."
My heart goes out to Lola and the rest of Buddy's family . . . as well as thousands of photographers who will miss him profoundly. Buddy left us a wonderful legacy of living and loving, and he would want all of us to "Keep Grinnin'." When today's tears begin to dry, I have no doubt that we will . . . every time we think of Buddy Stewart. What a incredible gift he gave us!