At 96, photographer Hugh Ackroyd is still very much alive -- and seized the opportunity to enjoy his own wake. He spent decades photographing shipping in Oregon and recently published a book about a local railcar manufacturer, "Gunderson: A History in Photographs."
Fredrick D. Joe/The Oregonain
BEAVERTON -- They came with cameras, name tags and old memories, fitting gifts for an aged photographer with hordes of friends and a shaky short-term memory.
It was supposed to be Hugh Ackroyd's wake. And maybe the best part of Sunday afternoon was the fact that Hugh Ackroyd is not dead.
The man who made a career out of shooting photos of barges and ships and boxcars is 96 years old. He planned his wake, and he wasn't embarrassed to admit it.
"Well, why not?" he said. "Why bother when (I'm) dead?"
Ackroyd sat in his padded wheelchair at a friend's house, wearing suspenders, a pressed white shirt and an old-fashioned black tie. His hair was thick and white: perfect.
Someone brought a wreath with a ribbon that said: "Eventually, Hugh, rest in peace." Ackroyd got a kick out of that.
And his friends got a kick out of Ackroyd, who continued going to the office at Ackroyd Photography Inc. in Northwest Portland until last year and shot his last photographs in July. He's the kind of guy who skied until he was 87 and played golf until he was 92.
After picking up his first camera at age 16 in British Columbia, he did a stint in Hollywood and moved to Portland.
Here he chronicled heavy industry, shooting the work of shipbuilders and barge makers, including Gunderson Inc. and Shaver Transportation Co. He also shot mountains and skiers and the Oregon coast. Many of his photos have appeared in The Oregonian over the years.
"Hugh's a seat-of-the-pants photographer," said Jim Deis, a friend who used to be a wedding photographer. "Hugh shot by feel, as opposed to being a technical photographer. He shot by instinct a lot."
A father of two, Ackroyd has been a widower for about a dozen years. Most of his contemporaries are dead. Still, his wake was packed.
"He never quit making friends," said Edda Sigurdar, who hosted Sunday's party. "He didn't stagnate like so many people do."
As if anyone needed proof, Ackroyd sat in his padded chair and greeted his friends for most of the afternoon.
The wake?
"It's quite magnificent," he said. [rc]
Stephen Beaven
E-Mail: stevebeaven@news.oregonian.com
© 2009 Oregon Live LLC.
November 15, 2009
USA: Portland photographer, 96, throws own wake: 'Why bother when I'm dead'
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BEAVERTON, Oregon / The Oregonian / Life / News / November 15, 2009
By Steve Beaven, The Oregonian
At 96, photographer Hugh Ackroyd is still very much alive -- and seized the opportunity to enjoy his own wake. He spent decades photographing shipping in Oregon and recently published a book about a local railcar manufacturer, "Gunderson: A History in Photographs."
Fredrick D. Joe/The Oregonain
BEAVERTON -- They came with cameras, name tags and old memories, fitting gifts for an aged photographer with hordes of friends and a shaky short-term memory.
It was supposed to be Hugh Ackroyd's wake. And maybe the best part of Sunday afternoon was the fact that Hugh Ackroyd is not dead.
The man who made a career out of shooting photos of barges and ships and boxcars is 96 years old. He planned his wake, and he wasn't embarrassed to admit it.
"Well, why not?" he said. "Why bother when (I'm) dead?"
Ackroyd sat in his padded wheelchair at a friend's house, wearing suspenders, a pressed white shirt and an old-fashioned black tie. His hair was thick and white: perfect.
Someone brought a wreath with a ribbon that said: "Eventually, Hugh, rest in peace." Ackroyd got a kick out of that.
And his friends got a kick out of Ackroyd, who continued going to the office at Ackroyd Photography Inc. in Northwest Portland until last year and shot his last photographs in July. He's the kind of guy who skied until he was 87 and played golf until he was 92.
After picking up his first camera at age 16 in British Columbia, he did a stint in Hollywood and moved to Portland.
Here he chronicled heavy industry, shooting the work of shipbuilders and barge makers, including Gunderson Inc. and Shaver Transportation Co. He also shot mountains and skiers and the Oregon coast. Many of his photos have appeared in The Oregonian over the years.
"Hugh's a seat-of-the-pants photographer," said Jim Deis, a friend who used to be a wedding photographer. "Hugh shot by feel, as opposed to being a technical photographer. He shot by instinct a lot."
A father of two, Ackroyd has been a widower for about a dozen years. Most of his contemporaries are dead. Still, his wake was packed.
"He never quit making friends," said Edda Sigurdar, who hosted Sunday's party. "He didn't stagnate like so many people do."
As if anyone needed proof, Ackroyd sat in his padded chair and greeted his friends for most of the afternoon.
The wake?
"It's quite magnificent," he said. [rc]
Stephen Beaven
E-Mail: stevebeaven@news.oregonian.com
© 2009 Oregon Live LLC.
At 96, photographer Hugh Ackroyd is still very much alive -- and seized the opportunity to enjoy his own wake. He spent decades photographing shipping in Oregon and recently published a book about a local railcar manufacturer, "Gunderson: A History in Photographs."
Fredrick D. Joe/The Oregonain
BEAVERTON -- They came with cameras, name tags and old memories, fitting gifts for an aged photographer with hordes of friends and a shaky short-term memory.
It was supposed to be Hugh Ackroyd's wake. And maybe the best part of Sunday afternoon was the fact that Hugh Ackroyd is not dead.
The man who made a career out of shooting photos of barges and ships and boxcars is 96 years old. He planned his wake, and he wasn't embarrassed to admit it.
"Well, why not?" he said. "Why bother when (I'm) dead?"
Ackroyd sat in his padded wheelchair at a friend's house, wearing suspenders, a pressed white shirt and an old-fashioned black tie. His hair was thick and white: perfect.
Someone brought a wreath with a ribbon that said: "Eventually, Hugh, rest in peace." Ackroyd got a kick out of that.
And his friends got a kick out of Ackroyd, who continued going to the office at Ackroyd Photography Inc. in Northwest Portland until last year and shot his last photographs in July. He's the kind of guy who skied until he was 87 and played golf until he was 92.
After picking up his first camera at age 16 in British Columbia, he did a stint in Hollywood and moved to Portland.
Here he chronicled heavy industry, shooting the work of shipbuilders and barge makers, including Gunderson Inc. and Shaver Transportation Co. He also shot mountains and skiers and the Oregon coast. Many of his photos have appeared in The Oregonian over the years.
"Hugh's a seat-of-the-pants photographer," said Jim Deis, a friend who used to be a wedding photographer. "Hugh shot by feel, as opposed to being a technical photographer. He shot by instinct a lot."
A father of two, Ackroyd has been a widower for about a dozen years. Most of his contemporaries are dead. Still, his wake was packed.
"He never quit making friends," said Edda Sigurdar, who hosted Sunday's party. "He didn't stagnate like so many people do."
As if anyone needed proof, Ackroyd sat in his padded chair and greeted his friends for most of the afternoon.
The wake?
"It's quite magnificent," he said. [rc]
Stephen Beaven
E-Mail: stevebeaven@news.oregonian.com
© 2009 Oregon Live LLC.
