Throwback Thursday - Setting the Time Machine for 1979?

by Skip Cohen

​We're all in the same boat right now with time on our hands, and at least for me, Throwback Thursday has therapeutic value. I'm a big fan of always looking forward and not spending too much time looking in my rearview mirror, but in these days of uncertainty, a look back can be heartwarming. 

My best guess is this image is from the late 70s. It's Jon Wolbarst and me during my Polaroid days as Regional Services Manager in Chicago. Jon was a Vice-President at Polaroid and had responsibility for Customer Service. He was the conscience of Polaroid, always fighting for the consumer. Regardless of the issues, he fought hard to keep Polaroid at the forefront of providing the very best service.

Those first SX-70 cameras were said to be 300% defective. Fortunately for Polaroid, there was no Internet, and Consumer Services could put out fires relatively quickly and keep them local. When I look at this photograph, I can't help but think back to how much so many of us learned, thanks to Jon's inspiration and direction.

Jon Wolbarst passed away in 1986 and was retiring when we presented him with this plaque. Jon loved to sail, and the plaque, complete with a starboard light read, "A guiding light by any other name would be Jon Wolbarst."

But here's the extra fun of this throwbacks:
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• There was no such thing as casual dress in business back then. My closet was all three-piece suits.
• Catch the width of my tie.
• Jon was one of the kindest, most focused people I've ever met. Getting quality time with him on that visit to the midwest will always be a highlight of those years of my career.
• Last but not least, looking back to the good old days used to be exclusive to being an old fart. Today, so many of us are looking at the good old days as 90 days ago!

And that brings me full circle to the challenges you're facing now. You've got time on your hands, and if you've got a blog, now is the time to build a stash of posts. Use Throwback Thursday to remind your readers of the importance of photographs. Even with the virus and social distancing, there are still opportunities for outdoor portraits, expanded engagement sessions, landscape/wildlife photography, fine art and more. Use your blog to help "Mom," with ideas related to imaging, all promoted thanks to your expertise.

Take the time today and even if you don't share them in a blog - take that walk down Memory Lane. It'll make you smile and there's no such thing as too many smiles right now!

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