Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/06/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well done Jim and thank you for representing those who cannot be there in person Joseph from Singapore --- Jim Shulman <jshul@comcast.net> wrote: > To All On the LUG, > > At tonight's viewing I presented all the posted comments on Sal to > his > surviving brother, Joe. The folder was nearly an inch thick--there > was no > shortage of comments from that various web groups. Joe was very, > very > touched (and rather surprised) that Sal had so many friends, > admirers, and > well-wishers around the globe. > > The following are the obituary notices from today's Philadelphia > Inquirer > and Philadelphia Daily News > > Jim Shulman > Bryn Mawr, PA > > Posted on Wed, Jun. 16, 2004 > > > Salvatore C. DiMarco Jr. | Photojournalist, 57 > > > Salvatore C. DiMarco Jr., 57, a photo editor at the Philadelphia > Bulletin > until it folded in 1982 who later worked for Time magazine and the > Black > Star agency and as a free-lancer for major publications, died of > heart > disease Friday at home in Drexel Hill. > > Born in West Philadelphia, Mr. DiMarco learned the basics of > photography at > his father's photo studio on 52d Street. > > Mr. DiMarco, who graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in > 1965, began > working full time at the Bulletin before graduating from Temple > University > in 1970 with a journalism degree. > > After college, he took care of his father after the elderly man was > robbed > at gunpoint in his studio, suffered several strokes, and couldn't > work. "My > brother became the head of the household and took care of me, my > mother and > my father," said his brother Joe. > > Mr. DiMarco's award-winning photographs have appeared on the covers > of > several magazines, including Life, Time and Boys' Life. Several > photos of > his were recently published in the New York Times. And he was one of > a team > of photographers who produced coffee-table books on President George > H.W. > Bush's inaugural in 1989 and on Pope John Paul II's visit to > Baltimore in > 1995. > > "Sal was always a classy guy," said Steve Falk, a photographer with > the > Philadelphia Daily News. "His favorite character was James Bond. > His > unfulfilled dream was to own an Aston Martin." > > Mr. DiMarco was a longtime member of the Society of Professional > Journalists > and accepted an award from the group the night before he died at a > gala at > the Downtown Club in Center City. > > There are no survivors besides his brother. > > Friends may visit at 7 tonight and at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Donohue > Funeral > Home, 8401 West Chester Pike, with a Funeral Mass tomorrow at St. > Bernadette > Church in Drexel Hill. Burial will be private. > > > Salvatore DiMarco Jr., photographer > > By JOHN F. MORRISON > > morrisj@phillynews.com > > > JON FALK was trying to figure out what to do with the trunk emblem > for a > classic 1974 Mercedes. > > He had picked it up, along with some other parts, at a Cherry Hill > dealer > for his longtime friend, Sal DiMarco. > > DiMarco had called him on Thursday to ask him to get the parts, but > Sal died > unexpectedly Friday, and Falk had the sad task of finding a home for > them. > > Salvatore C. DiMarco Jr., a busy and well-known free-lance > photographer > whose subjects ranged from presidents to popes, prominent movers and > shakers > in the business world, entertainers, and ordinary folk in dramatic > situations, was 57 when he died of a massive stroke. He lived in > Drexel > Hill. > > DiMarco was not just a great photographer, he was a generous man who > had so > many friends, his phone list, found after his death, was five feet > long. > > Falk, a retired Daily News picture editor, met Sal when Falk joined > the old > Philadelphia Bulletin in 1976. Sal was a photographer there, and > later > became chief photographer, running a staff of 30. > > "He was a fun person to work with," Falk said. "He had a very good > sense of > humor." > > They kept in touch after the Bulletin closed in 1982, and Sal went > on to a > successful career on his own. > > He covered presidents as a certified White House photographer, and > his > pictures appeared on the covers of numerous magazines, including > Time and > Life. He was a contributing photographer for Time for many years, > and was > associated with Black Star, the international photo agency. > > He recently had several photos in the New York Times. > > "He always had good things to say about people," said his younger > brother, > Joseph, an engineer in New York. "He was very jovial, always > laughing. He > loved to tell jokes. > > "When our father died in 1977, I was 19 and Sal practically raised > me. He > helped put me through school." > > Sal was born in Philadelphia to Salvatore and Marie DiMarco. His > father was > a commercial photographer and gave Sal his early education in taking > photos > and using the dark room. > > He graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, and > received > a journalism degree from Temple University. > > He started at the Bulletin in 1967 as a summer intern and was hired > as a > full-time photographer after he graduated from Temple. > > After the Bulletin closed, he launched his free-lance career, which > included > a number of business firms as clients, such as Allied Signal, > Bechtel, US > Sprint, Lucent Technologies, Eastman Kodak Co. and Leica Camera > Inc. > > In 1989, he was one of a group of photographers commissioned by the > Presidential Inaugural Committee to produce a picture book of > President > George H.W. Bush's inaugural festivities. > > In 1995, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baltimore asked him to be > part of a > team of photographers commissioned to produce a coffee-table book on > Pope > John Paul II's visit to Baltimore. > > He showed his photographs at the Oskar Barnack Room of the Leica > Gallery in > New York City in June 2001. > > Sal enjoyed hanging out with friends from the "old days." He > belonged to a > group of former Bulletin staffers who met for lunch every month for > years at > various restaurants in the suburbs. > > One of the regulars was Hans Knight, retired feature writer for the > Bulletin, who commented, "Even if Sal had not been one of the > country's best > photojournalists, he would be fondly remembered as a sparkling > lunch > companion. > > "Sal could talk like a waterfall, and he knew just about everybody > in and > out of the news business. His anecdotes were as sharp as his > pictures." > > Steve Falk, Daily News photographer, considered Sal his best friend. > He met > Sal in the late '70s when Sal was with the Bulletin and Falk was > trying to > make it as a free-lance photographer. > > "He took me under his wing," Falk said. "I learned location lighting > from > him. He gave me so much." > > When Falk learned about his friend's death on Saturday, he was > helping > another photographer set up lighting for a wedding, using knowledge > he had > learned from Sal 20 years before. > > "He was a perfectionist," Falk said. "He was always looking for a > better way > to do something." > > Sal was godfather to Falk's two children, Michael and Donald, and > was > godfather to the children of other friends as well. > > Another member of the luncheon group was Robert Diaz, who was a > photographer > for the Bulletin for more than 30 years. "He was such a generous > friend. If > you were sick, he would be the first one there. > > "His life was photography. His main conversation was about > photography and > photographers." > > Forrest Black, retired Bulletin writer and another member of the > luncheon > group, said, "He always had a lot of funny stories, usually about > famous > people. He loved to talk." > > DiMarco traveled worldwide on his assignments, and rarely missed > Photokina, > the international image and trade fair in Cologne, Germany. > > His brother is his only survivor. > > Services: Funeral Mass 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Bernadette's > Church, 1035 > Turner Ave., Drexel Hill. Friends may call at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the > Donohue > Funeral Home, 8401 West Chester Pike, Upper Darby, and at 9 a.m. > Thursday. > Burial will be in Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple. > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more > information >