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| Ned Pratt |
In that last 20th century I photographed quite a few architects. These were Arthur Erickson, Bing Thom, Ron Thom, Geoffrey Massey, Ned Pratt and Abraham Rogatnick. They are all now dead.
Because I photographed them many times, they became my friends.
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| Bing Thom |
The exception was Ron Thom. He was a somber and depressed man when I photographed him for the first and last time. He died shortly after.
I soon discovered that our city architects were renaissance men. You could talk to them on any subject. Abraham Rogatnick, who never built anything, except a ramp to leave his house on his wheel chair a few months before he died, would join us for our Christmas Eve dinners. He befriended our two granddaughters. He made origami birds for our Christmas tree.
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| Ron Thom |
In my present isolation in my little Kits home usually on my bed with my two cats, I reminisce how lucky I was to having met these men. I believe that I am a better man because of them.
Few now understand that when a photographer had access to architects they would sometimes tell me stuff they did not tell writers. I asked Erickson why he had built his little house out of a garage seeing he could have lived anywhere else and had a view of the mountains. He told me,"Alex, I did not want to live with a view assembled by God. I wanted to grow my own garden and view what was mine and hot His."
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| Arthur Erickson |
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| Abraham Rogatnick |
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| Geoffrey Massey |