Barry Goldwater

[mrb]

I was wandering around the internet this evening as a way to avoid some actual work when I stumbled across this site:

http://www.barrygoldwaterphotographs.com/

Am I the only one who didn't know that Barry Goldwater was a seriously talented amateur photographer? (For those youngsters out there, or others not familiar with 1960s US political trivia, Barry Goldwater ran for President in 1964. Short version: he lost.)

 

[bcostin]

Wow, thanks for the link. I, for one, had no idea.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I knew about him from the famous mushroom cloud political ad... It seems he was a man of many talents, not your ordinary politician...

Thanks for posting! 🙂

 

[hugivza]

An interesting commentary on a multi faceted individual, who perhaps fortunately was ahead of his time. His photos show a fine eye for detail and an understanding of his enviornment.

 

[Keith]

Thanks also for posting this ... who would have known Barry Goldwater was a talented and ardent photographer? Some great images!

One that surprised me a while ago ... I think the link appeared here ... was Sammy Davis JR. http://www.vanityfair.com/fame/features/2007/03/sammydavis_slideshow200703

 

[Bluesman]

He was a keen radio amateur/ham too.
Cheers/Richard

 

[Paul Fierberg]

Thank you never knew Barry was a talented photographer...Admired the guy and voted for him.

 

[dazedgonebye]

It's a well known thing here in Arizona. We get a lot of Goldwater lore here.

 

[dexdog]

hey, thanks for the link! Some excellent photos in that site. I had no idea that he was a talented photographer. A couple of the landsacpe shots call to mind Ansel Adams

 

[bmattock]

(For those youngsters out there, or others not familiar with 1960s US political trivia, Barry Goldwater ran for President in 1964. Short version: he lost.)

I don't think that's a fair representation of his life or career. He is hardly trivial; rather he was a towering figure in American politics. If 'youngsters' are not interested in learning more than "he lost" then they are imbeciles.

Talk about damning with faint praise! That's like an NPR story I heard yesterday, comparing Obama's speechifying abilities to "William Jennings Bryant [sic]," whom the reporter characterized as someone who was "apparently a good public speaker."

We have no future - we have given up the past as useless 'trivia'.

 

[Gray Fox]

Back in Goldwater's era there was something called a Military Affilliated Radio Station (MARS) group of ham radio operators. Soldiers overseas could use their services to call home via a patch to the phone system on the far end. I used it a couple of times from Viet Nam to call my wife in Phoenix, and once the radio operator on the Phoenix end was Goldwater, himself.

 

[Paul Fierberg]

Barry was also a very competent pilot and attained the rank of Major General in the Air Force Reserve.

 

[rpsawin]

I knew he was a photographer but I had not seen his work. Amazing...a stunning body of work. I think his love and respect for the people and land is evident. Thanks for the link.

Bob

 

[oftheherd]

hey, thanks for the link! Some excellent photos in that site. I had no idea that he was a talented photographer. A couple of the landsacpe shots call to mind Ansel Adams

Great shots for sure. I also thought of AA when I saw them. I think I enjoyed these more. Not only for the content, but for the comentary as well.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Wow, this shows that many of the most talented are nutjobs.

 

[dmr]

I don't think that's a fair representation of his life or career. He is hardly trivial; rather he was a towering figure in American politics. If 'youngsters' are not interested in learning more than "he lost" then they are imbeciles.

I was much too young to vote then, but I was aware of what was going on in the world and the country, and it was that election when I learned the terms "liberal" and "conservative", those terms which divide us.

The country was then divided over a war, not unlike we are today.

The thing is, neither candidate, IIRC, vowed to bring the troops home immediately, but Goldwater was the stronger "hawk" of the two. He was branded a conservative, but he was probably closer to today's libertarians.

He eventually spoke out very strongly against the Religious Reich, a pillar of today's contemporary conservative movement.

Yes, he was defeated, quite decisively. In a way, Johnson then resigned by default by refusing to run for re-election, but Barry was no longer on the scene as a Presidential contender.

I can't help but wonder if any of the other politicos of the time were avid photographers as well, maybe The Dick? The Hump? Spiggy?

Oh well ...

 

[bean_counter]

My employer's corp HQ is in the Phoenix area. Most of their decor in the hallways are art print photos, mostly (very large) color landscapes.

I was there last week, and was quite surprised to see several Goldwater photos. They appeared to be Cibachromes; most dated in the '60's but one was from the late '30's; must have been shot on Kodachrome.

He had a very good eye for landscapes.

 

[bmattock]

Wow, this shows that many of the most talented are nutjobs.

And that is why I never posted a link to Goldwater's photography webpage on RFF.

I'm tired of haters. Go away. No wait. I will.

Bye.

 

[Al Patterson]

Wow, this shows that many of the most talented are nutjobs.

From viewing your gallery, it appears that you are quite talented...

 

[bsdunek]

Thanks for the link, Bill. I wasn't aware of it.
My Grandmother moved to Arizona when she was 17 (about 1900) and fell in love with it. She received a camera from the president of the Arizona Railroad which I still have. She returned to Michigan about 1920, and always received Arizona Highways magazine and I remember an occasional photo by Barry Goldwater.
As both a pilot and photographer, my Dad was always a fan of Goldwater, although I don't think he ever met him.
The man had many talents, and the narration by Michael is great!