"All of the "big names" that I have been lucky enough to come in contact with have a couple of things in common. All don't look at what they do or have done as being all that earth shaking...none claim to have the cure for cancer. All will tell you that there "are no secrets" are have always been more than willing to talk about their techniques, all the while propping me up with kind words about my own work. They all have made their fair share of goof-ups, and take great pleasure in telling a good story on themselves.

"Most of all, all these people have a real passion for what they do and the hobby. It's always good to be around that kind of energy."


My old friend Martin sure nailed this one on the head...

As did several others in this thread who listed a number of "class acts" over the years. It's been my honor and privilege to have met many of them and hopefully had a little of their good qualities rub off. This hobby really isn't rocket science, although I do get more and more of that feeling from the Digital Era (thank God I'm retired and don't have to hassle all those stupid 1s and 0s for a living anymore.) Once you cut to the chase, and hopefully don't cut off too many others in the process of chasing (Lord, I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to falling prey to the "heat of battle")--the underlying qualities of all the Good Guys is a positive, encouraging spirit. Personally, I don't buy the line about "any press being good press" and it doesn't matter what others think, as long as they spell your name correctly. Jerks are jerks and I confess to being among the biggest A-holes on occasion. Hell, I even got yelled at by the last stagglers in a post-charter unofficial photo line at Ely a couple of weeks back. Sorry guys--after 3,758 photo runbys in two days, the mind gets hazy...

Like Tom Moungovan, my list of friends is numerous and it would be difficult to draft a list of all the good people I've met while railfanning--the roster is into the hundreds by now. Two things I've noticed over the years is that railfans tend to bond for life and you never get a second chance to make a first impression. I hate to say that I've labored under some gross misimpressions of some truly remarkable folks for a long time thanks to taking some offhanded comment the wrong way. It's a safe bet I wouldn't want to be judged today by some stupid thing I did or said in 1978. Hopefully, we've all grown up along the way.

Despite my trepidation about lists, there are a number of true heroes and mentors that should be recognized for their continuing, positive impact on me as a person, as well as someone involved in the creative process.

Guy Dunscomb is at the top. "GLD" took me under his wing in 1963, going out of his way to welcome a 14-year-old foamer (and his father) to the Dunscomb home for an evening spent perusing Guy's photo collection and talking trains. Over the years, Guy went from being a second father figure to a co-conspirator, teaching me qualities about life and spirituality that far exceeded anything we did as railfans. It's hard to imagine almost ten years have passed since Guy left us for a Heaven filled with steam power and perfect light. Sharing, caring, and nurturing--Guy was the man.

Guy's fellow Modestan, Al Rose, was another early mentor. Both Guy and Al taught me valuable lessons about documentary work and top quality presentation in publications. My lifelong love for the Sierra Railroad is directly attributable to both. Like Guy, Al left us way too soon.

Tom Taylor, who is happily still among the active railfans, can claim a lot of credit for pulling me out of an awkward high schooler's dream world once we met in 1964. Our lives have followed disparate paths since college, but we're still good friends and look forward to getting back out on the road in the future. Our collaboration at this year's CRPA Conversations on Photography rekindled a ton of pleasant memories. As long as we avoid mirrors, we're still both 18 years old and full of piss and vinegar.

And what more can I say about Richard Steinheimer? Stein's influence directed me into a career in photojournalism. Dick taught me to dream big, yet at the same time keep a close eye on the details--"we have too many photographers looking at the stars and tripping over wheelbarrows!" he often remarked. Stein also made it OK to fail. Martin and I still chuckle over the day we spent going through Dick's files as he pointed out one shot after the other that were simply "good ideas that fell on their ass." Dick's approach always reminded me of Teddy Kennedy's line about "some men see things as they are and ask why? Others see things the way they should be and ask why not?" For Stein, it was "what have we got to lose? The worst they can tell us is no." Take this attitude long enough and you'll find yourselt succeeding far more often than not.

Of course, behind every successful "foamer" I know there's a good woman. I've been blessed in this area for more than forty years. I'm hardly alone. If you want to see a true angel walking on this earth, look no further than Shirley Burman. Her devotion to Stein over his past ten years of debilitating illness is nothing short of miraculous.

Through it all, I've noticed one universal quality in our long-time friends: they're good people first and foremost. And I'm happy to say that as time goes on, I keep meeting more and more good people who share the interest in railroading.

You can't ask much more than this.

Ted Benson

PS--Ernesto, give me a call (522-2390.) Sounds like we've got a lot in common!