Jack Barham
Thomas Nathaniel Barham, known as Jack Barham (born March 1926) is a retired photographer from Shreveport, Louisiana, the former long-term photo editor of the defunct Shreveport Journal.
| Thomas Nathaniel "Jack" Barham (Shreveport Journal photographer) | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1926 |
| Political Party | Republican |
| Occupation | Photographer journalist with the Shreveport Journal |
| Spouse | Marilynn Pulliam Barham |
Born in Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish in North Louisiana into a prominent family which includes two former members of the Louisiana State Senate, Barham became interested in photography as a child when his teacher set up a dark room to show children how to develop prints. After attending elementary school in Oak Ridge, he relocated to Shreveport, graduated from C. E. Byrd High School, and entered the United States Coast Guard near the end of World War II, during which he worked in a photo lab on a ship. When he returned to Shreveport, he was called three days later to join the staff at the Shreveport Journal, where he worked for decades under the publishers Douglas, Sr., and Douglas F. Attaway, Jr., and then Charles Thomas Beaird. Barham said in a 2017 nostalgic interview that he never had to seek employment; prospective employers instead called upon him because of his photographic skills. However, he preferred to remain in Shreveport and therefore rejected offers requiring relocation from the Associated Press and The Houston Chronicle.[1]
In 1972, Barham traved to New York City with Attaway, Jr., to view a total eclipse, the phenomenon in which the moon completely blocks out the rays of the sun, which occurred on July 10 of that year. The eclipse lasted two minutes; the two men found their desirable spot for viewing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which links Brooklyn with Staten Island. Barham took the pictures, and Attaway wrote the story of the eclipse.[2] He also photographed numerous Apollo program space launches. In 1945, he photographed the Battle of Okinawa. In 1965, he was on hand to photograph a large natural gas pipeline explosion in Natchitoches, Louisiana. His photography took him to twenty foreign countries.[1]
As a photographer, Barham became personally acquainted with numerous celebrities, including Bob Hope, John Wayne, and Elvis Presley, all of whom admired his work. When Wayne came to Natchitoches in 1959 to film The Horse Soldiers, he called upon Barham to take the publicity shots for the Civil War picture.[1]
Barham's work has been published by the AP and in National Geographic and World Book encyclopedia. His prints have been recognized by the Louisiana state government, the AP Managing Editors Association, and the Shreveport Historic Preservation Society. He has donated thirty thousand of his photographs to the Noel Memorial Library at Louisiana State University in Shreveport so that the prints will be readily available for generations to come.[1]
He still resides in Shreveport with his wife, the former Marilynn Pulliam (born July 1937). In 2017, he was battling throat cancer.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lex Talamo (September 4, 2017). Beloved photographer Jack Barham shares life legacy. The Shreveport Times. Retrieved on September 6, 2017.
- ↑ .Douglas Attaway and Jack Barham, "Eclipse Splendor: Two Minutes of History," July 28, 1972. nauticom.net. Retrieved on June 13, 2012.