Birdville Stadium - 1974

My grandfather was a traveling evangelist, so when James Robinson was preaching at Birdville Stadium in Richland Hills TX, I thought this is what it would be like to photograph a famous family member. Johnny and June Cash were both in front of me, but I had only eyes for James, who as an orphan found his calling to minister.

June 28th 1974 was a Friday and I'd already been a photographer for two years. Roy Hamrick was my first teacher at the University of Texas. I learned from him what I didn't learn myself or from other photo friends like James Russell - fellow Shorthorn staffer, Bill Janscha - eventually a well-known AP stringer, ‘Hot Flash’ - Fashion Photographer Ken Johnson, or Robert Hart who later won a Pulitzer Prize.

I was thinking about Robinson, and with a click or two found myself photographing him almost 50 years ago thanks to the Film and Video Archive at SMU Library. The two B&W images of James are in my first portfolio on black bristol board, both badly deteriorating from an all too quick rinse.