[Leica] Our friend Roy.

[TTAbrahams@aol.com]

The great “booming” voice on the telephone has been silenced. “Tom, it is Roy, what do you think of this?”.  I joked with Roy and said that he really did not need a telephone, he could open his window in Charleston and I would open mine here in Vancouver and I would hear him fine! We, Tuulikki and I, count ourselves lucky having got to know Roy through LHSA and becoming friends with him, Betty and the boss of the household, Tallie the cat. Over the years, since the late 80’s when I joined LHSA we always spent some time together at LHSA meets and also in private visits with Roy and Betty in their home in Charleston. Roy loved his home city and was the greatest guide for wanderings around the street and lanes of his city. These tours become known as the “no options” tours, as Roy would pick out his favourite places and subject matters for pictures. Many of us within LHSA knew Roy as the “General” and he looked and acted the part when it suited him, but always with a glint in the eye and a substantial amount of humor behind his statements. Knowing Roy you also realized quickly that he did not suffer fools gladly. You knew exactly where he stood with his opinions and he was not shy about telling you what he thought. We were united in certain opinions, M2’s represented the apex of Leica M-design and the 1st generation 35/2 Summicron was the greatest lens ever made. Roy was also a dedicated darkroom worker and there have been many hours spent on the phone comparing films, developer and enlargers over the last decade.
 Of course, Roy had a weak spot, apart from trying to corner the market on Leicaflex SL’s and early 35/2”s, any cat could get him down on his knees and crawl through the mud in a - mostly futile - effort to get the feline to pose for him. 
 When I got sick in 2001, Roy would phone on a regular basis and inquire about my health and also cheer me up with tales of cameras and lenses bought and sold. His enthusiasm for photography was infectious and he could always get you started on a project with a camera body or lens and insisted on frequent updates about the progress.
 I went to a local swap-meet on Sunday and on the way home I thought “Oh, I should phone Roy about this. He would like that!” and suddenly realized that he was no longer available for a lengthy conversation on the merits of older IIIf’s and uncoated lenses and this saddened me immensely.
 Talking to a friend a couple of days ago, we came to the conclusion that Roy and Betty are now united again and Roy has probably already looked up Oskar Barnack and suggested “OK, Oskar, the Leica is a good design, but I think you should have done this to the camera to ensure an easier loading of the screw-mount bodies” and there is now a darkroom being constructed and a suitable place for cats to sleep.
 Roy, we will miss you and our thoughts and prayers go out to your family who lost a father and a mother in a too short a time-span.

Tom & Tuulikki Abrahamsson

Vancouver,BC
Canada
 
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