One Photo: Diving Board

This year, I’m participating a writing challenge orchestrated by genealogist and author, Amy Johnson Crow. The program is called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

This week’s writing prompt is:

Tell the story of a favorite photo

This is a favorite photo because it captures an era and it is one of the most requested photos in my collection. This photo was taken during World War II at a northern Minnesota resort. When all “the guys” were gone off to war, “the gals” worked hard during the week and played hard on the weekends.

Pinup photos were very popular with Hollywood starlets as well as with the troops. The U.S. Military never officially sanctioned the use of pinup-style images to raise morale. However, there are plenty of examples of pinups painted on airplane noses, printed in calendars, distributed in magazines, displayed in lockers and treasured in wallets.

Taking a cue from the popularity of pinup photos, and perhaps hoping that he would propose when he returned stateside, she posed.

He said that it was one of his favorite photos (during and after the War).
When he returned, he made her wait a year for him.
She waited.
They were married 70 years.

Today we celebrate Katherine Fleischhacker’s 100th birthday!

What other photos should be featured in this blog?

Portraits?
Homesteads?
Families?