Bay City, Michigan 48706
Front Page 03/28/2024 15:06 About us
mybaycity.com January 25, 2018
(Prior Story)   Columns ArTicle 11138   (Next Story)

LEONARDO: Len Falce, the Ultimate Artiste with a Leica, Sense of History

January 25, 2018       1 Comments
By: Dave Rogers

Printer Friendly Story View

Master photographer Leonard Falce in a pensive moment.
(Photo by Maria Falce)
 

We called him Leonardo.

After Leonardo da Vinci, one of the world's greatest artists, of course.

Both had an eye for images that history would not soon forget.

Leonard came out of the Bronx, never knowing who his father was, and ended up in Bay City, Michigan, after a tour as a combat photographer for the Army in the Korean War and stints for United Press International in Madison Wisconsin and Fort Wayne Indiana.

I remember, as a young reporter, when Leonard not so gently moved Senator John F. Kennedy closer to a group of Democrats he was snapping at the Bancroft Hotel, Saginaw, in the 1960 campaign against Richard Nixon. When Len wanted a certain shot, it didn't matter who he insisted move closer or change a head position. "Take it easy, Len, that guy just might be President soon," I remember saying presciently as it turned out.

We covered a Teamster's Union controversy at the same hotel during the Jimmy Hoffa heyday. Len's camera caught several very large, and angry, members closing in to eject us from a closed session. We "ran for it." The photo made front page.

Political publicity hounds were always placed on the ends of the lineups we called St. Valentine's Day Massacre shots. That way they could be cropped out of the photo that ultimately appeared in the paper.

One canny mayor whose photo was in the paper more than readers could stand took to carrying his own plates for the Speed Graphic used in those days of yore. That way he could counter Len's explanation he was out of film for a shot the hound wanted. And, the local pol cannily got himself in the middle of the crowd so he couldn't be cropped out. So, Len took the picture, went back to the office and neatly sliced him out with a razor, put the two pieces of the print together with tape and went to press. The hound was baffled and annoyed about how Len worked his magic.

A police captain of our memory fancied himself an expert on crowd sizes. Every year he would pronounce the size of the crowd thronging Center Avenue for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. "Looks like we had about 25,000." Next year, 30,000 for sure." And so on. When he hit 50,000 Len and City Editor Al Peloquin figured out how to thwart the overly-optimistic cop. Al hired a plane and put Leonard aloft to shoot the people on the entire route during the parade. I remember them pasting the series of photos together on the newsroom floor, stretching about 25-30 feet. A hand count showed about 5,000 watchers, max. I don't remember that we embarrassed the brass hat publicly but we had the goods on him after that.

Later the Speed Graphics with their flat plates were history and he moved to the fancy new Leica cameras from Germany. It was a milestone in technology and Len quickly became a master with the German camera. I acquired one of his battered models that 20 years later I learned had become an antique much in demand.

U.S. Rep. Jim Barcia paid tribute to Leonard on his retirement with a Congressional proclamation in 1996: "Mr. Speaker, a picture captures a moment in time, whether traumatic or exhilarating, momentous or trivial. A single photograph can cause emotional heartbreak or outfelt joy. A compilation of photographs can create a history of our family or our country. Photographers who take these pictures work tireless hours to capture just the right moment.

"I rise today to pay tribute to one such photographer. Leonard Falce who has spent 39 years with the Bay City Times as staff and chief photographer and photo editor, is retiring this month. Leonard has had a career filled with award-winning photography and has had a strong impact on aspiring photographers."

My wife Dolores and I also bought some of Len's photos when he and Jean closed up their Center Avenue home a few years ago. We treasure them and his memory as well. He was one of a kind.

"He was a fatherless man who became a father to so many," wrote his daughter, Maria, in a poignant tribute to her Dad.

The Times has posted some of Len's best photos that bring back old times. Good old times they were. Bay City is richer for having had Len Falce in our midst all those years.

###

Printer Friendly Story View
Prior Article

February 10, 2020
by: Rachel Reh
Family Winter Fun Fest is BACC Hot Spot for 2/10/2020
Next Article

February 2, 2020
by: Kathy Rupert-Mathews
MOVIE REVIEW: "Just Mercy" ... You Will Shed Tears, or at Least You Should

"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

tennis1960 Says:       On January 29, 2018 at 10:25 PM
Once again you have held me hostage to yet another fascinating article and visual moments in Bay City Illustrious history. I makes total sense that you would be the writer to tell this story. Thank you again Mr Rogers........or Dad. Your are the man
Agree? or Disagree?


Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

More from Dave Rogers

Send This Story to a Friend!       Letter to the editor       Link to this Story
Printer-Friendly Story View


--- Advertisments ---
     


0200 Nd: 03-24-2024 d 4 cpr 0






12/31/2020 P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm

SPONSORED LINKS



12/31/2020 drop ads P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm


Designed at OJ Advertising, Inc. (V3) (v3) Software by Mid-Michigan Computer Consultants
Bay City, Michigan USA
All Photographs and Content Copyright © 1998 - 2024 by OJA/MMCC. They may be used by permission only.
P3V3-0200 (1) 0   ID:Default   UserID:Default   Type:reader   R:x   PubID:mbC   NewspaperID:noPaperID
  pid:1560   pd:11-18-2012   nd:2024-03-24   ax:2024-03-28   Site:5   ArticleID:11138   MaxA: 999999   MaxAA: 999999
claudebot