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<< Previous   of   Next >> Herald File Photo  (click to enlarge) Photographer Jim Leo worked for The Herald for 45 years, retiring in 1997.  Photo Gallery: Jim Leo   ADVERTISEMENT   In His Own Words Longtime Herald photographer Jim Leo was interviewed in 2002 by Kerry Patton, an intern at the Everett Library. This video was provided by the library. Stories behind the photos See a slideshow with Leo's own comments on his work. Photos from the '50s and '60s See a collection of Leo's photos from the '50s and '60s in the Everett Public Library's digital collection. More photos See a gallery of photos by Leo and of him. A tribute from the Silvertips Read a tribute from the Everett Silvertips to Leo, "a close friend" of the team.   Related Stories • Video: Interview with Jim Leo 8/14/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008 Retired Herald photographer Jim Leo, 73, dies By Eric Stevick Herald Writer EVERETT -- Jim Leo, a retired Herald photographer with a passion for breaking news, slept with a radio scanner speaker under his pillow. He proposed to his future wife on his way to cover a fire and gave her an engagement ring two or three months later in the photo department's darkroom. His drive to tell the community what was happening, and to tell them first, meant Leo often beat everyone else to the scene of fires, accidents and police calls. Leo, a local icon with a Nikon, died Wednesday, one day after heart surgery. He was 73. "It's a sad day," said Warren Burns, the fire chief in Bothell and for many years the fire marshal in Everett. "Jim was an institution for Snohomish County news, without question. He was one of the old school photojournalists who told stories with pictures and did it so well." Family, friends, neighbors and police and firefighters gathered Wednesday to offer moral support in the waiting room at Providence Everett Medical Center, the same hospital where James Allen Leo was born on June 3, 1935. "It was really interesting to see all those people," said former Herald Publisher Larry Hanson. "Those relationships and friendships just lasted. There was just a lot of respect in the room for what he meant to the newspaper and the community." Hanson said law enforcement and firefighters simply trusted Leo and often granted him access others didn't get. Leo became an honorary Everett firefighter and stayed in close contact with members of the Everett Fire Department, including Fire Chief Murray Gordon, up until his death. In June, he wore his department-issued fire helmet while he captured photos of the Stewart Title fire in downtown Everett. Leo spent 47 years working for his hometown newspaper, including 38 years as a photographer. During that time, he taught fellow photographers and even police and firefighters about taking pictures at breaking news events. Former Herald photographer Jerry Gay remembers getting tips from Leo when he was breaking into the business in the late 1960s. In 1975, Gay won a Pulitzer Prize for a photo of firefighters while working for the Seattle Times. "I probably owe that in a lot of ways to Jim," Gay said. "He taught me so much about working with firemen and what to do when you get there." Leo started working for The Everett Herald as a teenage newspaper carrier in 1950 with a route along Oakes Avenue in north Everett between 14th and 21st streets. In 1952, he moved to the newspaper's mailroom. His job for more than two years entailed taking every paper off the conveyor belt as the day's edition came off the press. After graduating from Everett High School in 1954, he began working in the circulation department, but his childhood dream was to become a newspaper photographer. By 1959, he joined the photo staff. He spent nearly 40 years with a camera around his neck and a scanner by his side. He was credited with getting The Herald its first two-way radio system. Long before cell phones, the radios allowed for more flexibility in covering breaking news, because editors were able to communicate with photographers and reporters in the field. "He didn't miss anything, breaking-news-wise, that went on in this county," said Michael O'Leary, a Herald photographer who worked with Leo for more than 20 years. "He had great sources in law enforcement." Photographer Dan Bates remembers showing up to a fire only to be told Leo had already come, taken photos and left. Retired Herald reporter Jim Haley worked with Leo for more than four decades. "He literally slept with a police scanner and was hungry for covering spot news at all hours of the day," Haley said. "When he showed up in the morning with prints from an event, he'd make sure I knew who should be contacted to get the full story. He didn't want to miss anything, and Jim was quick to call me at home in the middle of the night to give me a heads-up about a shooting, accident or a fire. "On top of all that, he was a great guy," Haley said. "I loved him." Fred Walser remembered meeting Leo in the 1960s when he was starting out as a Washington State Patrol trooper in Snohomish County. Leo taught him and other troopers how to take pictures of accident scenes. "I would call Jim and ask directions to accident sites," Walser said. "Jim knew Snohomish County well." Leo was not only gutsy in taking tough shots, he was also sensitive to crash victims, said Walser, a former Sultan Police chief. "The man was the best at what he did. He was always there," Walser said. "Every police officer who knew him respected Jim," he said. Burns, the former Everett fire marshal, also remembers Leo getting to fires first. As firefighters rolled up to burning homes and buildings, they'd often find Leo already there snapping photos, Burns said. Leo could get dressed and arrive at fires near his home faster than the fire department, without the aid of lights and sirens. "It became a race," Burns said. Leo's photos, especially taken early as a fire began to burn, became evidence in several fire investigations, Burns said. "We used his pictures to solve fires," he said. Ken Lakey, 55, president of the Snohomish County Search and Rescue, said Leo often joined in as volunteers combed Snohomish County mountains for people who had become lost or hurt. "Jim was always there taking pictures," Lakey said. Sometimes, when volunteers struggled carrying a stretcher or some other task, Leo would put down his camera to lend a helping hand. After Leo retired from The Herald, he donated historical photos to the search-and-rescue group when in 2001 they dedicated their operations center near Snohomish in honor of John Taylor. His photos also were used in a 1992 book "The Fire Boys," written by Charles Z. Henderson. The book covered 100 years of Everett firefighting history. Known to many of his friends by his newspaper radio call sign, "33," Leo is survived by his wife, Connie Rae; son, Jeff; and daughter, Lori. The Leos were married 45 years. Jeff Leo said he was in his mother's arms when he went with his dad to his first breaking-news events. The father and son spent years covering spot news events together. Jeff ultimately followed in his dad's footsteps, becoming a newspaper photographer. He now works for the Newnan Times-Herald south of Atlanta and well remembers his dad's lessons. "Building relationships with the fire department and police department was his forte," Jeff Leo said. "It was just the passion, the adrenaline, the capturing that image, he just thrived on it. I don't know what pushed him." Jeff Leo said he believes his father's lessons rubbed off on him. "He taught me so much," he said. "He was my mentor and my best friend." Funeral services are still being arranged. Reporters Jackson Holtz, Yoshiaki Nohara and David Chircop contributed to this story. Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or e-mail stevick@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out My Hero Drove a Big White Dodge. My Name is Ryan Gartland. I grew up in Everett, Washington. I now live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I woke up the other day and decided to read my favorite news paper and was brought to tears with the Headlines of Jims Passing. I remember the first time I met Jim, I was 9 years old and playing with my tonka toys at the end of the alley on 17th street, between Lombard and Oaks. My family and I had just moved in to the neigborhood in a house right at the corner of the alley, we later named it "Jim's Lane" because he would always take this way out more often then then on 16th st due to traffic, whizzing by in his "Big White Dodge." Well on this day Jim was off to one of his many calls a day for a fire, and he came speeding down the alley way and slams to a stop. I look up and he is just stairing at me with this "Kid Im going to run you over look" In stead he looks at me and tells me "its not safe to play right here because of all the insane drivers that cause accidents" and smiled at me. then asked me if I would please move. Well I didnt know what to think of this guy, so i picked up my toys and moved out of his way and VROOOM away he went. Later on I met his daughter Lori and Son Jeff. thats when I found out why I would often see Jim speeding down the alley way and down the road. He was a photographer for the Everett Herald. So one day while riding my bike down the alley way I seen him outside washing his white Dodge and I asked him why he always was racing off to take pictures. he sat there as if he didnt hear me and went on to cleaning his truck, you could see the man was in thought trying to figure out how to explain to a 9 year old what he does. he stopped and looked at me and said "I want to be the first to bring to people reality of what happens in life. and I like to think that what I do for this city makes a difference." it made total sense later in life. For many Jim made a difference by bringing the news first and fresh, often pictures were taken before law enforcement, or firefighters were on the scene so people could really get a good view of what happened. plus to be able to take pictures as the proper authorities showed up to do their jobs really showed us all why we were thankful to have fire and police response so well as we did when I lived in Everett. In reality I believe we took for granted and never really gave true thanks to a man who deserved it the most. Jim Leo was one of the greatest men I ever had the privelige to know. his love for photographs, his energy to be there before any one else, his duty he felt he owed his community beyond other things makes this man a hero in my heart. I remember the first time I was invited by his wife Connie and Daughter Lori in the house, you walk in the front door and it seems you were walking into an every day family home, that is until you walked down the hallway past the kitchen and there was a wall that would make any amature radio operator jelous of. laid in Stained and lacquered wood were several radios, scanners, and speakers all built into this wall. there were ribbon taped call numbers and signs for everything imaginable there. fire departments police codes and officers numbers, weather channels and frequencys to things that I will never know of. At the end of the hallway past the bedrooms was two doors. one led outside to the back yard and alley way where jims Famous White Dodge sat, and the other door was off limits. you could smell photography though. It was Jims Dark room where he developed his film. and from sun up to sun down. if he wasnt cleaning his truck, off on a fire or criminal scene or accident, this man would spend it there in that dark room. every now and again I would see him in the back yard in a chair enjoying lemon aid, but not often. He was a man of dedication, he was about helping others, whether in person or to put a story together with pictures. He helped me with alot of things in my days of growing up, taught me how to use a camera, even took me on a few calls. I remember 33 being on the back window of his son Jeffs ford ranger. those were "his fathers call numbers" as he explained to me. I will remember all the lessons Jim taught me, I will remember hearing his big white dodge screaming down the alley way, seeing him sitting there with a scanner in hand parked in a parking lot somewhere, the smile on his face as he would go whizzing by the house. and most of all the picture trail he left us to have for life. Jim you are missed my friend. I am truly saddened to see you go. you will be a hero to me and many others for the rest of our lifes my friend. and I hope to come to heaven to find your pictures strung down the walls of Gods home. Jim has parked his Big White Dodge for the last time. The Flash bulb on his gone dark, but the sound of that Big White Dodge and the memories of that flash bulb will carry on in my heart and mind forever. Goodbye my old friend. Thank your for the memories and your hard services to a community who has adored you. Ryan J.Gartland Ryan Gartland | Aug 21, 2008 3:17 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) When I was commissioned as a trooper in 1974 one of the first people I met was Jim Leo at a collision scene. Over the next 8 years Jim was the main photographer at patrol investigated collisions. We all came to rely on his expertise and ability to get the right information in his photos. When the patrol bought cameras for its investigators, it was Jim who taught us the tricks of the trade to get the best photo. Jim would take the time at a scene to help us in setting up shots and making sure we got a photograph of what we needed. We all new that even if our photos turned out badly we could just ask Jim for a copy of his. He also was the first instructor to teach crime scene photography at the WSP Academy. I returned to the this area in 2006 and again connected with Jim only this time it was at Silvertips games. I was a Spokane Chiefs fan and we would give each other jabs as the Tips had there very good years from the start. But this past year the Chiefs won the whole deal and I was looking forward to giving Jim a bad time at the arena. It won't be the same. Now Jim is in heaven and there he won't have to worry about f-stops or depth of field. He can just point and shoot to his hearts content. geoff genther | Aug 13, 2008 3:43 pm | 1 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Jim Leo I worked as a photographer with Jim Leo at the Everett Herald between 1980 and 1994 and extend my deepest sympathy to Connie, Jeff and Lori. I cannot know what motivated Jim to sustain his dedication and efforts in documentary photography within his community for almost four decades, but I do know with certainty that I see this accomplishment as profound and, as a news photographer, highly enviable. There must have been something unique that kept him going. His pictures helped Snohomish County know itself and helped it understand that tragedy and triumph are siblings in a shared place. Jim knew that the best photos in that regard are those that are straightforward, not embellished with excessive style, and simply honest. Perhaps that reach for the honest telling of events is what provided the motivation to answer his scanner's siren song, day or night, again and again and again. And it wasn't just spot news that got Jim out of bed. One late night on assignment in Kirkland, I found myself locked out of the company car with no "Slim Jim" (a lockout tool) available from the local cops. So I called another slim Jim and encountered absolutely no resistance to his driving all the way from Everett to rescue me. Someone one told me once that the State Patrol's nickname for Jim was "Flashbulb" and that rookie cops would often get evidentiary tips from Jim on how to analyze an accident scene. Jim's uncanny spot news intuition (and his network of police and fired department contacts) was proven for me during a news event that lasted about a week. A cargo vessel under repair in the pre-Navy harbor had been slowly sinking for several days due to a fire that started on deck. It was apparent that the ship would sink, but no one could predict when. Except for Jim Leo, apparently. After a week of bemused observation on his part of the other photographers trying to determine the time of what would undoubtedly be a very visual scene, Jim suddenly announced he was going out to the ship on a friend's boat to take some photos. He returned to his envious co-workers with a stunning series of dramatic pictures showing the ship slowly going under. I believe the New York Times ran those pictures the next day. Jim was a kind and compassionate person. When I left the Herald due to a layoff in 1994 and walked out the door for the last time, I met Jim coming in. Being guys, we were both embarrassed and tense at the encounter and really didn't know what to say to each other. Then Jim looked at me with his kind eyes that had seen so much worse pain at accident and fire scenes, and just hugged me. Jim had a phrase that he used when he really agreed with something you said. It was: "You got that right!" Jim worked for almost forty years doing what he thought was the right way to take pictures. The sirens are silent for you now, "33", and the scanner can be turned off, but you are unforgettable and all I can say is: "You got it right!" Frank Varga | Aug 17, 2008 7:05 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Known a lifetime First met Jim, to my best memory, in the late '40s, as he lived with his parents on 15th & Oakes just north of my dad's folks, a whole six years older than me, he always had a chearful smile and hello. In 1956 I started delivering old Herald Route 79 on Colby from 7th to 16th and Jim worked for Fred Baker in the Circulation Department, but not far from his camera. In '59 I moved into the old Colby Mailroom and I remember Jim installing some kind of stabilization unit in the trunk of his car to help keep him on the road. We both liked two-way radios, scanners and late breaking news. It was one of the work related friendships that endured for many years although we never worked together, we always worked together professionally. I was proud as punch to have been personally invited by Jim to attend his retirement party. When Jim retired from the Herald, I gave him a Retirement Card containing one of the Everett Theater passes that the Circulation Department gave carriers for a month with no complaints. The smile that crossed his face was worth all the time I saved it in my office desk. Rest in Peace dear friend. 99 to 33 . . . 99 to 33 . . . no response from 33 . . . Bob Huson | Aug 15, 2008 6:48 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Jim Leo When I was a kid, Jim was larger than life! He was an action hero. He would go where the action was. In those days -- it was the height of technical magic. One day, here was Jim taking a photo -- and the next day, it was in the paper. He was an inspiration that lead to some of my journalistic career -- as well as a lifelong love of photography. Greg Parkinson gggreg99@yahoo.com Greg Parkinson | Aug 15, 2008 11:24 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal What a Guy! I remember while I was growing up hearing the name "Jim Leo" a lot! My father, Ray Watters, was with The Herald for 45 years until his retirement in 1989, also as a paperboy, photographer, photo engraver and color specialist. They worked together for many years and I know dad greatly respected Jim as a a fellow employee and friend. I remember Jim as an extremely nice man with a terrific sense of humor! My condolences to Connie Rae, Jeff and Lori! I know you will miss him very much, as many, many people in Everett and the surrounding area will as well. As the article said, we have lost an Everett Herald icon! And, as quoted by Warren Burns, it is a sad day! Chris Summers | Aug 14, 2008 4:42 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Jim Leo I first meet Jim Leo in the late 60's, and he was in a fire bunker coat with a Nikon F2 35 mm camera. I was maybe 9 years old. My father, Bill Hill, worked at the Everett Herald and was editor of the Panorama in the late 60's and early 70's. Jim's car had radios across the dash for the different fire and police agencies he interacted with and followed. He was the living photographer legend, and many aspired to be like him. Many of his photos were seen localy and on the AP. I have been in the fire service for years, and often thought of him when I had seen a news photographer at a fire scene. God bless him and keep his family. Jim Hill | Aug 13, 2008 8:46 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal (No heading) Over the last many years it has been my great privilege to work with Jim archiving and posting his photographs to the web. His energy and enthusiasm for responding to, and taking photographs of community emergencies was boundless. As was reported in the Herald piece, it is very true that Jim and his red Durango would often beat emergency vehicles to the scene. Last year Everett’s firefighters purchased and renovated a building on Hewitt Avenue to serve as a community meeting space. Jim was pleased and very proud to provide the only photographs deemed worthy to be framed and displayed in our hall. We will work with Jim’s surviving family to insure that his remarkable historical work remains an asset to the community for generations to come. Just weeks ago Jim was out photographing the 4th of July parade, and even more recently standing on the corner of Hewitt and Rockefeller, camera in one hand and scanner in the other, waiting to shoot some action. Another false alarm... It is some small consolation knowing that he lived his dream without pause to the very end. A collection of Jim’s photographic work resides at: www.everettfirefighters.org in the media gallery. Godspeed my friend, you will be sorely missed. Dave DeMarco | Aug 13, 2008 7:48 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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