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It took me awhile but I was able to find this photo taken of then Washington Star photographer Bernie Boston during the 1980 Southern Short Course in News Photography in Fayetteville, N.C. Bernie was a judge that year and I was a student helper along with others from my RTC class.

This was taken during the editorial illustration category and a classmate noticed Bernie was holding one of my photos and got the shot for me.

Bernie was great to the students that weekend and we followed him around like puppy dogs. He was a gentleman about it and often picked up our meals. He was not one to sit at a table with other big name photographers and force students to come to him. Bernie was always a sit at the table with you kind of guy.

He brought some of his 11×14 prints that year and it was an honor to hear the stories behind his iconic images.

I will always remember his kind smile, the cowboy hat and those beautiful boots. 

Rest in peace  

rlh

While trying to get position before an inbounds play, Coastal Carolina’s 6′ 8″ forward Matt Brennan, 15, looks up while defending UNC Asheville’s center Kenny George, 22, during first half action Monday night at Kimbel Arena. UNC Asheville beat the Chants 56-52 to stay undefeated in the Big South Conference. George, who is 7′7”, scored a game high 15 points and limited Coastal’s inside game.

I wanted to feel sorry for this kid Matt Brennam on Monday night during Coastal’s loss to UNC Asheville. After several plays he started smiling like this every time he looked up at his opponent. It was inspiring to watch how much he took to the task. In the end the Chants lost but man Brennam gave it his best shot.

There were a few NBA scouts at the game looking at George. One scout (I’m not mentioning the team) sat next to me at the press table. He seemed to think George needs to finds a way to increase his speed running the court. I imagine speed is a hard thing to learn when you have a 7′7″ frame.

I thought about it after the game. Kenny George is the largest person I’ve seen in person.

Serge Zwikker, you’ve just been upped.

rlh

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from the 2007 Asalha Puju Ceremony 

This year I am committed to bring to the internet an audio message about each of the holidays on the Buddhist calendar from abbot Chao Khun of Wat Carolina Buddhajakra Vanaram.

A little history about why I’m doing this.

In 1999 as a photojournalist at The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, I worked on a story about the relationship between the mostly Baptist community in Bolivia, N.C. and the monks of the Buddhist temple at Wat Carolina. The story evolved into another about the lives of the monks and their acclimation into the society around this quiet North Carolina community.

I found nothing moves quickly at the Wat and the photo essay took nearly two years to put together. During this time my visits to the temple were as a professional photojournalist and not as a participant.

In July of 2001, with the help of my former colleague Mark Adams , the story was published on both the web and print editions of the paper and I moved on to other things.

Soon, I found I missed the abbot’s simple truth about life struggles, so I started visiting the temple more for my personal journey and less for journalistic endeavors.

In 2003 I was given the gift of an expanded tour of the source of the Wat’s message with a trip to Thailand. The trip was a pilgrimage for me and I was honored by all those I encountered for my respect of the religion and my desire to learn from the country’s noble and kind people.

It has been said that America is the home of the free but mostly by those who have not visited Thailand.

I will post these messages a few weeks before each celebration and will give the link on the Jambudvipa list serve.

A brief summary for each of the holiday celebrations will be published to go with the audio and guest writers are welcome to give personal stories of why that holiday is important to them. It just needs to be submitted well in advance of the holiday.

Comments and personal insights are encouraged and welcomed but please remember this is not Chao Khun’s personal site and any messages to him may not make it to him directly. You are encouraged to e-mail him through Wat Carolina’s web site.

For protection from unwanted use, all content on this site is copyrighted and you must get permission from me before you download any of the images or text or audio.

Here are the celebrations I plan to post about and the days they will be celebrated at The Wat Carolina.

1. Magha Puja - Feb 17, 2008
2. Songkran      - April 13, 2008
3. Visakha Puja - July 13, 2008
4. Asalha Puja - July 13, 2008
5. Sart Day - Sept 14, 2008
6. Kathina & Loi Krathong - Oct 19, 2008
7. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s celebration - Dec 7, 2008

rlh

Like most of the media announcements at Hard Rock Park, the centerpiece icon unveiling was full of spice and hoopla.

Being a musician and Gibson guitar aficionado, I couldn’t resist posting this photo from the inside of the new rock and roll themed park being built in Myrtle Beach.

The 78 ft. guitar is modeled after Gibson’s Les Paul Super Heritage guitar. A human-sized version would cost a little over three thousand so I couldn’t guess how much the King Kong version would run.

The big question I have is……

How many guitar heroes would it take to make a G major power chord on this guitar?

If you just gotta know more go to myrtlebeachonline.com and read my colleague Lisa Fleisher’s story about the event.

rlh

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Last week I was assigned to produce a basic instruction video to coincide with the annual Carolina Shag Dance competitions in our area.

If you don’t know what Carolina shag dancing is then don’t be alarmed. It started in coastal South Carolina during the 1940’s when the white youth visiting the beach discovered soul music for the first time. Not available on the radio, soul music was on the beach’s jukeboxes because the same man owned the pavilions at both white and the segregated black beaches.

The music he ordered for the jukeboxes at the black beaches eventually found it’s way into the jukeboxes at the white beaches.

The rest is history.

rlh

With tourists still stopping by to get a view of the popular “Mount Myrtle 2″ sand sculpture, a TV crew with the blessings of the city of Myrtle Beach, bulldozed over the Democratic sculpture on Tuesday afternoon. Several blocks away, the same personality driven political TV production, built a sculpture in the likeness of their ‘EGO” in an empty lot out of the view of the public.

At the Palace Theatre site, several in the crowd, after driving hours to see the Democratic sculpture, were dumbfounded and wondered why?

With cameras draped over my shoulders, some of the tourists asked me for an explanation.

TV rules!

Read my colleague Jonathan Tressler’s story

rlh

Words were pretty heated during Monday’s Democratic debate in Myrtle Beach. The first half of the debate was great but during the second half, the candidates cooled down and the topics became boring.

I noticed this unity happening after one of the candidates (I forgot which) mentioned President Bush. Then they started bashing the president instead.

Go to myrtlebeachonline.com to see the gallery our staff put together on debate day.

rlh 

It’s hard to believe it’s been 27 years since our photojournalism professor Robert Heist took us on a day trip to Petty Enterprises in Level Cross, N.C.

Where are they now I recently asked my former classmate Gerry Broome? I’ve found some but others are still out there being mysterious.

Dean Poole
No one I’ve spoke to has heard or knows what happened to the coolest guy in our PJ class. Dean was perhaps the most talented of the lot. I remember his images having a balance and honesty of a true visual genius.

Mark Phillips
After college, I had the opportunity to work with Mark at the Augusta Chronicle for a brief period. He later worked in Tampa with Candace and then moved to New York City where he settled in South Brooklyn.

In the early 1990’s, he was one of the first photographers to embrace the new technology of the Internet and now is a web designer along with a photographer.

He has just written a book that features his photographs and his experiences covering the World Trade Center bombings in 2001.

Ricky “Scoop” Stilley
Ricky now works as an IT supervisor in Carrollton, GA after moving there from Henderson, N.C. in 1997.

For many years he was a staff photographer in Henderson at The Daily Dispatch.

A spot news photo he took from a house fire in Henderson will always live in my memory. The photo was of a firefighter holding a dead child after a failed rescue attempt. You could see the loss and emotion in the fireman’s eyes and the photo would make you weep. It is one of the most powerful images I’ve seen in my career.

Ricky is married and has a 15-year-old son in the 10th grade. He recently started taking photographs again and has a website of his photos.

Candace Mundy
Candace is now a 20-year veteran at The Tampa Tribune in Florida.

I remember her being the sweetest person and always helpful to her fellow classmates. I needed her help often, especially in Heist’s photochemistry class. She never turned down a request and tutored me often with my class projects.

Beth Bailey
According to Candace, Beth now lives in Charlotte and is the proud mother of two children. I’ve been unable to get a correct e-mail address so if you see this Beth please get in touch.

Randy Hill

I’m currently a staffer at The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C. I’ve worked there for 9-years after taking an 11-year break from the newspaper business to work for Kodak.

I think I missed the sense of community you feel as a photojournalist.

Tim Dominick
A veteran photojournalist at The State in Columbia, Tim is a photographer’s photographer.

I see him mostly at the South Carolina News Photographers Association meetings where he’s a constant winner. All his colleagues at The State have great things to say about him. He is one of the nicest guys in the business.

Hey Tim, what happened to Clemson?

Heist
The tough love king, Heist is now retired and living in Harkers Island, N.C. working on his dream home.

I always say that Heist is the “Dean Smith” of photojournalism in North Carolina. He is and will always be my mentor and coach.

If I have a tough time at work, or if something great happens, I’ll call Heist first.

Chuck Blair
Chuck is another mystery man and I’d love to hear what happened to him.

Gerry Broome
Gerry is the Associated Press photographer in Raleigh, N.C.

He’s the guy that gets the best seat in the house at UNC, State or Duke basketball games.

I saw Gerry for the first time in a long while at the recent Republican debate in Myrtle Beach. Our meeting was the inspiration for this blog post. Before AP, Gerry worked in Charlotte at the Observer and in Greensboro.

After the debate coverage, I found Gerry can still drink me under the table. Only now we’re not drinking those generic beers from the Randleman beer stores.

Gerry married his college sweetheart Tracy (I hope I got the spelling correct) and has a 14-year-old daughter.

Kelly Harding
I lost touch with Kelly after she moved back to Greensboro from her job in Gulfport, Mississippi.

In college, Kelly was everyone’s big sister who somehow kept us in line. She was my best friend and I’m disappointed she’s not a part of my life.

I hope this posting helps and I wish continued success to all those listed. Keep in touch class of 1981. If anyone has anything to add please contact me.

rlh

This photo was taken at John McCain’s Myrtle Beach rally the day before the 2008 South Carolina Republican primary.

rlh

Erin Smith (left), her father Buddy and her mother Stacy, all Mike Huckabee supporters, wait for the Huckabee rally to begin Thursday morning at the Beach Aircraft Maintenance building on Victory Street in Myrtle Beach.

Today I covered the Mike Huckabee rally at a maintenance hanger on the backside of the Myrtle Beach Airport.

The Republican presidential candidate brought some good ole’ southern draw with him and lots of national and international press.

You can tell Saturday’s South Carolina primary is important because there was a separate airplane just for the photographers following the candidate. Sort of like when Hunter S. Thompson followed Nixon in his book Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72. You just have to replace the drug references with the “gonzo” amounts of rain that fell on Thursday.

We hit the big time when action star Chuck Norris and pro wrestler Ric Flair joined the candidate’s stump. I feel a few in the crowd were inspired to name their children “Walker” and “Texas Ranger” like Ricky Bobby did in Talladega Nights.

Go to myrtlebeachonline.com to see a gallery of images from the event.

If you’re still feeling the need for more Republican fuel, go to the colossal Republican debate day slideshow our staff did last Thursday.

I’m all over McCain tomorrow.

rlh