Descended From Slaves, Late '80s
One of my very first memories was crossing the field to the dirt-floor house that Bodie and Roxie lived in next door. "Don't be a bother," my mother would say, and then tell me to be back by a certain time. I learned that when I wanted to extend my visit with the Fortsons, all I had to do was change the time on my pocket watch, and I would never be late.
Many years later, when Bodie was getting old, my introverted self got up the nerve to ask if I could make his photograph. He agreed. I made this with Kodachrome film and a Sears camera. In 2020, this portrait won the Dr. Nix Award presented by the Lyndon House.
