Regional Photographers

Bernie Boston

May 18, 1933 - January 22, 2008

If there's any one photographer in the Staunton area who excelled in all of the many areas that this museum covers it was Bernie Boston. In his professional life as a world renowned news photographer, Bernie captured countless historic moments. His technical ability was sought after by camera manufacturers to help them improve their cameras. His warmth and magnetic personality endeared him to whomever he met. Lastly he was a good friend to many of the people of Staunton including the founder of this camera museum.

Bernie graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1955. He served in the Army before his first job as a news photographer for the Dayton Daily News in Dayton Ohio in 1963.  By 1967 Bernie was hired as a staff photographer for the Washington Star. During that year Bernie captured a picture of a standoff between a rifle bearing National Guard detail in front of the Pentagon and a youthful activist with flowers. This picture is known throughout the photographic world by the simple title of “Flower Power”. It was awarded second place for the Pulitzer Prize in news photography. It also received many other awards. It is just one example of Bernie's superb vision, timing and skill.

In 1981 he began as a Washington bureau photographer for the Los Angeles Times. He photographed presidents from Lyndon Johnson to Bill Clinton developing a level of security access to the White House through his photographic skill and personal warmth which amazed many of his coworkers.  He covered the assassination attempt on President Reagan's life March 30, 1981 shooting the event with an Olympus Pen W half frame point and shoot camera which he always carried in his pocket for such an emergency.   

In December 31,1993 Bernie retired from the Los Angeles Times and soon after moved to Basye Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. In 2000 he and his wife, Peggy, purchased the Bryce Mountain Courier where he was photographer and publisher while Peggy, served as editor. Bernie was also a collector of cameras with many fine and unusual specimens, some of which with the support of his wife Peggy we are priviledged to have on our permanent display.

We have a list of those cameras and devices that we are showing on this web site.

The majority of Bernie's images were given to the Rochester Institute of Technology, his beloved alma mater.

We at the museum will always remember his warm smile and comfortable demeanor.  And we will always consider it a privilege to have known both Bernie and Peggy as friends.