DEATH OF A MEMBER:
Carl Turk, a long-time member of MWA, passed away on Tuesday, February 27, 2007.
There will be a memorial service in two weeks. Meanwhile Carl will be cremated and his ashes taken to Colorado . The date and location of the memorial will be announced. MWA has lost a real friend and a long-time supporter of the association. His participation was a constant that could always be counted upon. We will miss his enthusiasm, his sense of humor and abundant curiosity.
Back in the 1970s when my own career as a freelance photographer was beginning, I was invited to join the Chicago Magazine Photographers Association. Among the members were: Art Shay (Life Magazine), Robert Lightfoot (Time Magazine), Declan Haun (Black Star Agency), P. Michael O’Sullivan, Fred Schnell – and Carl Turk, late of the Chicago Tribune Special Projects. These were some of the giants of magazine photography, the essayists and illustrators that shaped the culture with their camera images. Carl was right in there with the best. I learned to keep my mouth shut and just absorb by osmosis when any of these people talked about a shoot. Carl, in his usual expansive way, was always pushing for something unique, something singular in the images he created.
When I met him again, 30 years later at my first MWA meeting, he still had that fearless edge and that push to succeed. Everyone loved Carl. Everyone forgave the occasional question from left field that made heads spin, because Carl wanted to know how this or that worked. He came prepared to ask that question.
Carl Turk was funny, frustrating and forgiving all at once. He was rich in friends and rich in ideas and didn’t just march to a different drummer, he required an entire symphony orchestra. He was a big man in every way that counts and I’ll miss him.
-- Gerry Souter, President
More: March 16, 2007
For all who knew and respected Carl Turk, his obituary appeared today in the Chicago Tribune. Carl died on February 26 of complications from pneumonia. Only those of us who made our living with a camera back in the 60s and 70s would recognize the young bearded guy in the Trib’s obit photo with a Hasselblad in one hand and an open bottle in the other standing in a Panama jungle. A memorial service will be held for Carl on March 24 at 1:00 PM in The Trails Clubhouse at 703 Nerge Rd in Roselle.
Gerry Souter, President