Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2015)
4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ NOVEMBER 18, 2015 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 RYAN CRONK , EDITOR ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion E XTRAORDINARY P EOPLE Joshua Greene C ATHERINE J. R OURKE For the Siuslaw News _____________ J oshua Greene is a man who doesn’t need any introductions. Most people know him as a city councilor and the son of fashion- celebrity photographer Milton H. Greene, whose captivating images of Marilyn Monroe have dazzled peo- ple for over half a century. Yet many don’t realize that the New York City native is a photo- graphic trailblazer and artist in his own right. As president of The Archives, Joshua developed an exclusive process to create digitally remastered prints of his father’s pho- tographic legacy. Due to his innovative restoration techniques, thousands of images now have an extended life, spanning 200 years versus the average 60 to 75 years of traditional prints. “I’ve always been good at break- ing new ground,” Joshua said. “My work has always been about finding better ways, whether lighting sets or restoring photos. I can see the color and quality of light; it’s my greatest strength.” That strength can be found at The Archives. Stepping into its expansive space harkens back to New York’s commercial photo studios, with strik- ing portraits of 20th century divas, theatrical track lighting, high ceilings and large-format equipment. One almost expects to see long- legged models prancing before cyclorama walls and seamless back- drops, with strobes, Softbox mono lights, Starlite panels, C-stands with umbrellas and reflectors, Photoflex octodomes and large-format Hasselblads atop giant tripods. While Joshua once used such equipment to focus his keen eye on his subjects, his work now zooms in on the details of much larger pic- tures. Photo loupes and sleeves of Ektachrome slides sit atop table-size light boxes in between large-format archival ink-jet printers and flatbed scanners. And Marilyn gazes down upon it all with her sassy smile from epic-size photos mounted on the sur- rounding walls. Several F-stops ahead of his time, Joshua set his own trends, transform- ing commercial photography into fine art. “Lighting is the most important thing in a photograph,” he said. “I always prefer to shoot in natural light.” That passion inspired his work in the 1980s with bon vivant author Lee Bailey in numerous books such as “Country Weekends,” which revo- lutionized food photography by trad- ing stale studio sets for spectacular outdoor locations. Joshua’s signature spontaneity and unprecedented natu- ral approach made him a celebrated lifestyle photographer, paving the way for the Martha Stewart era. “People have seen my work countless times over the years with- out realizing it,” he said. “What I created had never been done before, in publishing or photography.” Joshua evidently carries the “Greene gene” for painting with light. Recognizing that his father’s photos had become discolored, he sought a solution to merge digital technology with fine art photogra- phy. PHOTO BY SHAWN PENROD Joshua Greene inside his studio at The Archives “It’s all in my DNA,” he said. Those genes led him to launch The Archives in the mid-1990s, using the advent of digital software capabilities and an exclusive printing process to bring new levels of beauty and color to photo restoration. “My niche was taking faded images and bringing them back to life,” he said. “I had a sense of what the colors of that era looked like in order to restore photos similar to the authentic product of their day.” Joshua breathed new life into the Greene photographic legacy, restor- ing it to its original glory. Now, more than 10 years later, he is getting ready to expose another new frame of this work. “I’ve come full circle in photogra- phy,” he said. With more than 30 percent of the 4,000 archival images never seen before, “The Essential Marilyn” will be showcased in a worldwide travel- ing exhibition as well as an oversize book. In addition, the original digi- tally restored film files, remastered prints and associated copyrights of the Milton Greene Marilyn Monroe Collection will be available for sale privately as a bundle. So what possessed an erudite urbanite to trade the Big Apple for smaller potatoes in Oregon? Joshua discovered Florence during a coastal visit in the 1990s. “The magnificent light is what impressed me,” he said. “I travel often and marvel at what we have here every time I return. Florence has its own environmental quality that is so special and makes us all appreciate it.” That appreciation led Joshua to become involved in the community “to make a difference” as a board commissioner and city councilor. “As a city team, we are excited and energized about the future here,” he said. “This is a diverse communi- ty of retirees and creative artists with fresh ideas.” What’s left to accomplish for someone whose babysitter was Marilyn Monroe? “I still dream of catching a 30- pound salmon on a fly line,” he said. ______________________ Catherine J. Rourke is an award- winning writer, journalist and book editor who teaches creative writing at the Florence Regional Arts Alliance. She may be contacted at CJReditor@gmail.com. LETTERS Heartfelt donation Wow! My heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Hardison for the wonderful gift he has given to our Boys and Girls Club (“B&G Club Stunned by Major Gift,” Nov. 10, page A1). I am so glad that this man chose our town as a place to have a second home, that he could spend time here in. Our youth will benefit from John Hardison’s generosity for years to come. I had the pleasure of meeting the Hardisons quite by chance on their last night here in Florence last Monday. I had learned of the news about the generous gift to the Boys and Girls Club, as of that Monday morning, and had gone down to Waterfront Depot late Monday after- noon for a burger, and while there, struck up a conversation with the couple sitting next to me. It was a very nice casual conversation not unlike many others I have had there over the years in getting to know people you have never met before. As we talked, he was telling me how much he enjoyed Florence and especially Florentine Estates. Being a resident there myself, I inquired about which lot, and when he told me, I realized who he was. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned my long-time involvement with the museum. He immediately thanked me for giving my time for the museum and how important he felt it was for folks to be active in their community. That gave me the opportunity to personally thank him for his extraordinary gift to the club. He looked me straight in the eye and said this to me, “I have been extremely fortunate in life with my business ventures, and I learned a while back that I was not going to be able to be around much longer, and after some time to think, I realized that I wanted what I had accumulated to be put into communities that I liked, and for it to help the most young lives that it could. And I am now really getting a good feeling about this giv- ing, because I know I can’t take it with me.” We shook hands as I told him, “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you have done.” There was no feeling sorry for himself exhibited whatsoever. To the contrary, he seemed happy and jovial. I feel really blessed and humbled to have had the opportunity to meet this very special man and to be able to thank him personally. Our town is blessed, especially the Boys and Girls Club, because of his presence among us for a short few years. Del Phelps Florence Carson’s delusion Ben Carson, the soft spoken, retired pediatric neurosurgeon, has spoken out on a number of provocative things as he seeks the Republican nomination. Perhaps it’s to appeal to “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” vote that he claims that if European Jews had free access to guns, “the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished.” Too many campaigning pronouncements ignore history and fact. University of Vermont historian Alan Steinways notes that Dr. Carson cannot cite one “serious work of scholarship … nor the collective historical memory of any group that was targeted by the Nazi regime, be they Jews, Gypsies, the disabled, gay people or Poles” to support his claim. Dr. Carson injected guns and the Holocaust into presidential politics to illustrate why he is against gun control. In response to calls for gun control after the Umpqua Community College shootings, he argued that incipient dictatorships make it a priority to disarm their citizenry. The Washington Post identifies Dr. Carson as “the biggest fan of Nazi metaphors in politics.” However, here, his Nazi metaphor is totally inapt. It was not until 1938, five years after Hitler was elected to power, that the Nazi gun law requiring police permission for ownership of handguns was enacted. All other firearms remained unregulated. Only later — the day after Kristallnacht, the night Nazi mobs destroyed Jewish shops and synagogues — were Jews, less than 1 percent of the German popula- tion, prohibited from possessing weapons of any kind. Prior to this Nazi gun law, the unrestricted right to bear arms did not protect Jews from vir- ulent, Nazi-provoked anti-Semitism. Nor did it encourage Germans to vote against Hitler. Dr. Carson is simply wrong in saying, as he does, that “Most people in Germany didn’t agree with what Hitler was doing.” His opinion that having guns would have permitted German Jews to forcibly resist the systematic persecu- tion by a well-armed police state supported by a majority of Germans is delusional. Dr. Carson has his First Amendment right to stick by his Second Amendment guns. He is entitled to his opinion as reported by the Breitbart website that “the current state of our government and institutions are ‘very much like Nazi Germany.’” But, as the saying goes, he’s not entitled to his facts. In fact, the Holocaust was not enabled by gun control. It was enabled by Nazi-enflamed anti-Semitism. Getting the facts right is not brain surgery. Arnold Buchman Florence Hot lunches I would like to speak on behalf of the seventh and eighth graders and high school students of the Siuslaw School District. They are very dis- appointed that they are not getting a fresh and hot meal at their lunch break. I know this because some of the youth I know speak to me about this issue. Yes, the food is fresh and hot when it’s served to the sixth graders, but by the time it gets served to the seventh and eighth graders and to the high school students, it’s cold and rubbery. For this is why I’m standing up and speaking out for the youth, so that they can be heard. We, as parents, need to listen to what the youth are telling us and just not brush it off as them complaining about the food. Nancy McGuire Florence USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2015 © Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ryan Cronk Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Advertising Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor concerning issues affecting the Florence area and Lane County. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed let- ters must be signed. All letters should be limited to about 300 words and must include the writer’s full name, address and phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous and anonymous letters as well as poetry will not be published. All submissions become the property of Siuslaw News and will not be returned. Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com
