The Story in a Face
Lady Lisa. My signature photo has taken on a life of its own. To this day, people from all over the world contact me about purchasing it for use in all sorts of ways. I ALWAYS say no. I would never want her to stumble across it being used for commercial purposes. Her photo was curated into a temporary Portrait Exhibit at the A. Smith Gallery of Art, and has won several awards in competitions
Lite Earle Gossage, Jr. This is the homeless gentleman who became my friend. I met him in downtown San Antonio, playing his harmonica for change. I had no change, so I offered to buy him the biggest cheeseburger on the menu at a nearby Riverwalk restaurant. He was delightful: funny, kind, and had great stories to tell of his travels. His story is continued in the next two images.
Lite again. I saw him next at the park where I often ate lunch. Again playing his harmonica. I told him his previous photo had won two photography awards. At the time, I was shooting for a contest in which his face would be perfect for. He was game, and again his photo was awarded, and later, it was curated into a temporary "Blue" Exhibit at the A. Smith Gallery of Art. He was thrilled.
One more time. In the middle of a conversation, he recognized "his duck", Daffy. He had been missing her. When he called her, she waddled up to him, jumped on his lap, and he played for her. I could tell Lite was sick, and a friend soon contacted me and said he had died. Lite had asked his friend to find me and tell me I was the kindest person he'd ever known. A true gentleman and friend!
Alvin Whitaker. The sadness in his eyes told his story. He told me that he used to run an oil company, but sadly, he lost his mind to dementia... along with his dignity and everything else that mattered. As for me, I saw plenty of dignity in Alvin Whitaker's face!
Wayne. I met Wayne through Lite. They were friends. His wife was Barbara. The two of them actually escaped homelessness and had a little place in downtown San Antonio. They always welcomed folks who needed a shower or something to eat. Barbara loved cats. Wayne swore he did NOT! But I caught this moment during one of my many visits, and beg to differ with him, haha!
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