  Photo John Palcewski Her name was Audrey Bradford Stubbs, nicknamed “Brad.” She and her husband, Dennis, adopted me as their son when I was in the US Air Force stationed at a SAC base in Amarillo, Texas, in the early 60s. Over the years I scheduled my magazine photo assignments to include a stopover in Texas so I could visit these dear people, and we remained in close touch for 30 some years, until they died several years ago. The series of images on my website was taken on a visit to Cadillac Ranch, outside of Amarillo, in 1980. Cadillac Ranch was quite famous, a novel sculpture consisting of a bunch of brand new cars buried nose first into the flat plains of the Panhandle. Over decades those cars deteriorated, and they’re now a metaphor of what awaits us all. ______________
This was one of a great number of images I made on assignment for UPI New York at Ali’s training camp in Deer Lake, Pa., in early September, 1980. Ali was hoping to regain the WBC World Heavyweight Championship from Larry Holmes, but was subsequently very badly defeated. On my first day of shooting, it turned out I was the only press photographer there. Ali gave me free access. Actually, he put on a great performance for me, hamming it up shamelessly as I followed him around as he worked out, and I got some fabulous shots. Later UPI sent a series of five images out on the international wire, whereas they rarely send more than two or three. (This shot of Ali in the white bathrobe was not among them.) It was Ali’s sweetness and generosity to me that made the shoot such a success. |
