John Kerry
SENATOR
A future blog about John Kerry.will be added here. Enter now to see photos. Circa 1999.
50-Years of Vision Quest
SENATOR
A future blog about John Kerry.will be added here. Enter now to see photos. Circa 1999.
I JOINED THE 2004 JOHN KERRY PRESIDENTIAL RACE on the last day of the campaign. After an evening rally in Cleveland, I was finally boarding one of the two chartered planes waiting on the lakefront tarmac.ย โAt least Iโm on the same plane as Kerryโ… I thought.
Wide-eyed, I made my way toward the back of the plane, hoping to join many of the celebrated journalists when someone stopped me and pointed to my name above one of the eight first-class staff seats. โWow!โ… I exclaimed.
Before I was able to sit, Kerry came on board and spotted me. With what the authority of a SWIFT boat captain, he hailed…”John Chao, right here!” and pointed his finger at a long couch in the forward cabin.ย
Already out of place and certainly feeling undeserving, I began to object, to which the weary senator looked at me, rolled his eyes and said, โSit down and shut up!โย
I grabbed my cameras, embarrassed at being singled out, I made my way toward my newly assigned seat. I was warmly greeted by John Glenn whom I had met years before at the capital building and was introduced to his wife Annie. They were riding to the next rally and being dropped off in Akron, Ohio.ย
I sat on the couch with Annie. Unlike the shy reputation attributed to her in the movie โThe Right Stuffโ, she turned to me and completely put me at ease. We started chatting like old friends and ignored the two senators swiveling on their captainโs chairs.ย
When the plane took off, both of us were sideways with no seatbelts or handholds. When the climb turned steep, it crushed me against her with surprising force. There was nothing I could do to prevent the moment.ย When it became an eternity, we both started to chuckle.ย
I looked across at the Senator who was graciously smiling, (when John Glenn smiles, you canโt see his eyes) and I mischievously returned his gaze. Looking over at Kerry who was either oblivious because this happened frequently or, merely because he was caught-up in another world, I returned to Annie, up-close-and-personal. Smiling and with the most sincere voice I couldย muster and asked, โTell me… Is he the jealous type?
HEAT’S ON: A decade of transformation. The dawning of theย age of Aquarius. Water turning to steam. Fruition from the quest was liberating. It was a decade that exchanged ambition for the magic of the unknown.
GRATITUDE: A decade beyond expectation. I learned to live in the moment instead of capturing the moment. .ย . simply, being present to welcome the moment.
NEW WORK: Enter to see photo: This is a work in progress page. SUBSCRIBE for the latest stories, blogs and (if I’ve taken pictures of you in the last 50 years) don’t miss friendship updates. Thank You!
NEW WORK: I’ve visited Hong Kong a dozen times in the past 50-year. It seems any visit would not be complete without a trek up to Victoria Peak. It’s a view that lends perspective and reveals the general state of the world. My recent visit is no exception.
ยฉJOHN CHAO All rights reserved
ยฉJOHN CHAO All rights reserved
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-Continued from Published
Bob Gilka, the Director of Photography at National Geographic Magazine seem to resent me for sleeping with the enemy. He was not about to further my career. He saw me as a rule-breaker. Someone unbefitting to his proven talents even though I graduated from the very top of his associated institutions. He never gave me a single assignment, voluntarily, that is. Thirty years later, his assistant sought me out at a gathering and told me he was near death.
I embraced her, asked her to wish him my best and to tell him how much I’ve admired and looked up to him. Her eyes glassed; in a tender, almost apologetic voice, she said. “Thank you, John, I know it will mean a lot to Mr. Gilka to hear this coming from you.”
Gilka was an ego-driven drill sergeant whose magazine was his oligarchy. The reputation and mystique behind the magazine suited him well. My first encounter with the man was in his office. Like all aspiring photographers, we made our way to be ordained. On his door, the sign said, Wipe Your Knees Before Entering.
“You need to work for a newspaper!” was his response after viewing my portfolio. Sheepishly told him I was offered a job in a Kansas newspaper but turned-it-down because I didn’t want to leave NYC. Before I could finish, he yelled: “Who Clarkson!?”
Surprised by the outburst, I timidly said, “Yes!” He stared at me for an eternity. I swear I saw smoke sputter out of his head. He hissed, “NOW, IF THAT IS TRUE! You have to be the dumbest jack-ass ever walked into my office!”
With his doubting eyes, he glared at me as if he’d caught me in a lie. “Do you know how many photographers would give their right arm to be at the Capital-Journal?!” My sheepishness must have confirmed his suspicions. Not being a student of journalism, I was unaware of the extensive network this drill-sergeant uses to gather his Geographic talents. Colleges, newspapers across the country, the bastion of the Missouri Workshop, were all part of his well-established web. That morning, I was utterly unaware; Topeka Capital-Journal was the pinnacle of his recruitment network. Anyone hired there would not have gone unnoticed, and anyone declining a job there is a liar. “Well, get the hell out there and come back after you have some newspaper experience.” (I swear I’ve got a bruise on my rear to prove it ;-).
So I called Rich Clarkson and asked if the job offer was still good.
A FEW YEARS LATER, I sat in the same office facing the same doubting face. Chief Editor, Bill Garrett insisted that he assign me to photograph an article I’d proposed on Taiwan. After weeks of delay, he reluctantly offered me a fraction of the day-rate compared to GEO and later made a stink about the Chinese receipts I submitted. I did not get more assignments from him even though the Taiwan article was credited to be “transformative.” I don’t know what that meant, but it was, the first time Geographic published blurred pictures. So when his assistant made the non-verbal apology, I was surprised and wished that I had the opportunity to sit and laugh with the old geezer some 30-years later.
I understand Bob Gilka; we had mutual friends. I will always be grateful to him. Firstly, in helping me realize what newspaper work means. Secondly, in affirming my conviction NOT to wear corporate success as a form of personal achievement. Throughout the years, I knew he was surprised to hear my name intertwined in conversations. I was the jack-ass that kept beating the drum but didn’t follow his path. I think, in the end, he would have applauded me for doing this. RIP
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