A Throwback of a Throwback - 1936 and 1992

by Skip Cohen

It's Throwback Thursday, and if you've followed me for even the shortest time, you know it's one of my favorite days. It's not just about old photographs but the memories they bring with them.

The shot of the band above was the cover of the invitation we did for my Dad's 70th birthday party in 1992. Dad played trumpet throughout high school, in college in the University of Illinois marching band, and in WWll in one of the Army Air Corps bands. This shot was from Patrick Henry High School in Cleveland. I'm guessing it was around 1936.

But there's more to the fun of this image. It was 1992, and digital imaging was new to all of us. So I needed an expert to help with the artwork for the invitation. Hasselblad's Electronic Imaging Manager, (we didn't even call it digital imaging yet) Rudy Guttosch, had the skills to take the group portrait and remove the faces...all except Dad's. Later we created a new shot of the band and replaced them all, but with Dad's face, referring to him as our favorite one-man band.

And one more story this all brings back. Dad served in the Asia/Pacific in WWll. He was a navigator until a perforated eardrum grounded him to the tower. They were looking for musicians to volunteer one day, and Dad got excited. He figured he'd pull some light duty and pull out his trumpet. Well, not quite - he and the rest of the musicians spent two days moving pianos for an upcoming USO show, probably with Bob Hope!

Make the time each week to find at least one old photograph. Throwbacks are about the memories they bring back, and these days, we could all use a few more fun looks in the rearview mirror!

Happy Throwback Thursday!