1980: My First Trip to London

Young woman smoking a cigarette in her lovers hotel room
Sales Clerk.  London 1980. Photo: Tony Ward, Copyright 2022

Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2022

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1980: My First Trip to London

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The first memory I have about arriving in London in 1980 was trying to get my rental car out of the Hertz parking lot at Heathrow Airport.  I was a 24 year old novice at driving on the opposite side of the road let alone the opposite side of the car, that was the real problem I had with it.  I circled around and around the lot trying to learn how to acclimate myself to the situation but what made it even more problematic was that the car had a four speed stick shift! Imagine the terror of that moment. I gave up.  Took the keys back to the counter and asked where I could hail a taxi.

The taxi drive was my second vivid memory of London.  Taxi drivers in London didn’t behave the same way drivers in the states behaved. No. These drivers wore a suit and a tie to work. They opened the door for me and happily and carefully assisted in loading my tons of camera equipment throughout the cabs trunk and interior.  I was informed back in the states that taxi drivers in England-at least then- had to go to school to become licensed and had to take a specific test to show they knew the incredibly complicated seemingly unorganized street patterns that are a common trait of trying to get around in the enormous city of London and its surrounding boroughs.

I arrived at the White House Hotel in Covent Garden not realizing my company, Smithkline Corporation shared no expense in where to accommodate me during my one week stay. The place was just like you would imagine from old English films. The room  were old, but neat and clean and the most charming thing is that the concierge told me I was just  a 15 minute walk to Harrods department store. I heard it was the largest department store in the world at that time.  I just had to do a little shopping there before I departed for home.

While shopping at Harrods I was waited on by a young woman in the men’s fragrance department.  I was taken by her British accent and amazed by her makeup. So perfectly done for such a young person who wasn’t a professional model.  After I commented about it she asserted that wearing proper makeup at Harrods was a requirement for all sales women at the store. One of the reasons why I suppose the place became so famous. Talk about attention to detail. Harrods embodied that mystique in spades.  After a brief chat the salesperson agreed to meet me back at my hotel room for drinks and dinner.  We spent the night together and that was the beginning of a most memorable trip.

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To access additional articles by Tony Ward, click herehttps://tonyward.com/andre-leon-talley/

 

Murder-Suicide in Rochester New York

Bernice Dubin at home. Rochester, NY. 1977. Photo: Tony Ward

Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2021

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Murder-Suicide  in Rochester New York

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September 11th, 2021 started off like any other solemn 9/11 day as Americans remembered the loved ones lost at the twin towers in New York. I saw some of the coverage on the news and then took a drive down the shore for the afternoon as it appeared to be a perfect day to reflect about an upcoming exhibition and relax on the beach.

I arrived in Margate and set up shop where I always do, in front of Lucy the landmark elephant and Ventura’s Greenhouse restaurant.  I bought a take out lunch and a beer from Ventura’s and headed to the beach.  As I was settling  into my chair, I noticed an email had come in from a college friend, Pat Breslin. It contained a forwarded message from another college friend, Jim Gerhard that linked me to a newspaper article about the murder-suicide of dear friends, Roy Greer and Bernice Dubin. Suffice it to say I was stunned, shocked, saddened, angry and horrified in an instant by what I had read. My day on the beach suddenly turned to dread. Why would Roy do this?

On the morning of the 11th, Roy got out of bed to head over to visit his lifelong lover who I had met when Roy and I were graduate students at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the late nineteen seventies.  Apparently, Bernice had been suffering for some time with Alzheimer’s disease and had recently fallen and hurt her hip. The injury required that she stay in a nursing home for a while. Roy complained to several friends that he didn’t like the way she was being treated, a common complaint by those that have had loved ones in nursing homes for a protracted period of time. However, in this depressing scenario Roy brought along a gun with him to put an end to Bernice’s suffering.  Once he got into her room on this fateful and historic day of remembrance he  proceeded to shoot and kill Bernice in her hospital bed before turning the gun on himself. 

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Roy with handgun. Photo courtesy of Jay Pastelak. Copyright 2007.

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In the aftermath there were forgiving words said about Roy on social media; that he was put it in an impossible situation in seeing the love of his life deteriorate before his eyes while he himself had just turned 80. A sense of helplessness was cast upon him which may have caused him to act compulsively which he was sometimes known to do. This was a tragic ending to lives that were well lived. I suppose this was a statement from Roy to remember them on 9/11.

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Roy and Bernice. Rochester, NY. 1983. Photo courtesy of Jim Gerhard, copyright 2021.

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to my college friends, Jim Gerhard and Jay Pastelak  for sending in the remarkable photos.

Diary: Portrait of Alejandra Guerrero

Tony_Ward_Erotica_portraiture_model_photographer_Alejandra_Guererro_Los_Angeles_diary_lingerie_sunglasses_Beverly_Laurel_Moter_hotel
Alejandra Guerrero: Los Angeles 2010.

Photography and Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2017

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Diary: Portrait of Alejandra Guerrero

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My first glimpse of Alejandra Guerrero was at LAX when she picked me up at the airport as  I had just arrived for a three day shoot for Private Media Group.  We exchanged pleasantries at the baggage claim and then proceeded to take the intriguing ride up La Cienega Blvd in route to the Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel, a charming place that I’ve stayed  numerous times in the heart of Los Angeles.  Its close to the galleries I like to visit when I’m in town and to Melrose, where I like to shop, eat and meet with friends. 

Alejandra was assisting me on the project, and we didn’t have a shoot scheduled until the next day so we spent the evening at the hotel getting acquainted by making pictures of each other to commemorate our newly found collaboration and  friendship. Alejandra styled herself for the shoot. Its quite apparent she has amazing taste.

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To access previous diary entry: go herehttp://tonywarderotica.com/diary-early-digital-captures/