May 14, 2008 10:42 am
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TERRELL LESTER Column
John Threadgill had a marvelous and discerning eye. He captured the passing of life through the portal of a lens.
And now the lens has closed on his life. Darkness has descended all around.
John Threadgill died on Sunday at his home in Verdigris.
He was a 22-year-old photographer with a keen sense of timing.
For most of the last four years, John was a regular and skilled contributor to the sports pages of the Claremore Progress.
Photographs are the fulcrum of sports journalism.
John could make that fulcrum tilt in extraordinary ways.
He had a passion for photography. Not a youthful flirtation. But a maturation developed from desire and hard work.
His photographs began appearing in the Progress while he was a student at Verdigris.
They continued to brighten the pages as he moved on to Rogers State University.
From football angles to basketball lighting, John mastered the nuances of his craft.
He approached each new season, and the sport of the day, with enthusiasm and dedication.
He had a singular love affair with Oklahoma State, but he possessed a special and lasting fondness for the high schools of Rogers County.
From his alma mater at Verdigris to the campuses at Chelsea and Oologah, John went in search of pictures that told a story and recorded a dream.
He came back with photographs of poignant and penetrating content and in-your-face physical contact.
He photographed the emotion of fans, the motion of athletes.
He had a flair for improvisation, a curiosity for the unusual.
He ventured forth on assignment, without assignment. He sought out subjects on Main Street and on playgrounds.
He knew a good picture when he saw one. And he could capture it.
He went about his work like a professional, despite his youth. He was dedicated to his art, and what he produced was, indeed, art. In his hands, his camera was his brush and easel.
Like a brilliant Oklahoma sunrise that he would photograph, John Threadgill is gone too soon.
But, the memory of both will long endure.
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