I’ve spent the past 14 years photographing people. Part of my process invites people to share the three words that define their unique strain of exceptionalism. This becomes the lens through which we reveal the authentic self.
This is my dad. He passed away on April 20, after a long battle with kidney and heart failure, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you what I see when I look at the man in this photo and reflect on his extraordinary life:
1. INGENUITY. My dad wasn’t just an engineer by training—he was a problem-solver at heart. In the 60s at Ohio State, he pioneered the shot put spin technique that is now the standard among elite athletes. In the 70s, he created the world’s first remote heart monitoring device in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. In the 80s, he proved interactive kiosks were the future of retail and encouraged me to take up Mandarin before China was even open to the West. In the 90s, he harnessed that spirit of innovation and grew it into a multi-million dollar family business.
2. GENEROSITY. My dad was the sort of guy who might not remember your birthday, but never forget when you needed something done: a renovation, an install, a construction of any kind. DONE was the operative word, and if the getting it done involved diesel fuel and a dozer—fuhgeddaboudit.
3. GRIT. At times, it may have come across as stubbornness, but if you look under my dad’s hood what you found was tireless underdog DNA, always looking for a fight. People like my dad rise to the occasion and thrive under pressure. They show-up at track meets, undersized and in their street clothes, besting all comers; They compete against Fortune 500 companies and leave with contracts that say nothing is impossible; They beat cancer, not once but twice, and live for years without dialysis on one half of one kidney. And even when dialysis becomes unavoidable, they still have the drive to walk out, go to work, and get shit done.
I’ve spent the last 53 years of my life bearing witness to these three words in action, living in the shadow of a man with whom I am beyond grateful to have shared so much more than just a name.