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The Artful Obit
Samples
 San
Francisco Chronicle
James D. Wilson -- longtime Newsweek photographer
Jim Herron Zamora, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, December 10, 2005
A memorial service will be held Sunday in Oakland for James
D. Wilson, who photographed hundreds of celebrities and newsmakers
while working at the San Francisco bureau of Newsweek magazine.
Mr. Wilson, who covered many major West Coast news events from
the 1960s until he retired in 1995, died Nov. 30 at his Oakland
home after a long illness. He was 70.
A self-taught photographer, Mr. Wilson chronicled the political
and cultural life of California over four decades, from Pat Brown's
terms as governor in the early 1960s to the Internet boom of
the 1990s.
Mr. Wilson was born in Oakland in 1935 and was raised in Ogden,
Utah. He was the only son in a family with six children.
After graduating from Ogden High School, he served in the Army,
where he worked as a piano player traveling from base to base.
In 1957, he moved back to the Bay Area and became a teletype
operator for Newsweek's San Francisco bureau.
Although he wasn't hired as a photographer, his quick wit, work
ethic and talent allowed him to develop into one of the most
frequently published photographers at Newsweek, former colleagues
said.
During his career, he took memorable photos, including one of
Bobby Kennedy just hours before he was assassinated. Others included
an emaciated Rock Hudson shortly before he died of AIDS, movie
star Dyan Cannon on a hammock and an aging Bette Davis on a film
set.
Several celebrities he photographed liked his work so much,
they began corresponding with him.
"Jim had a way with the beautiful people," said Pam
Abramson, a former Newsweek writer who worked with him for 12
years. "He was a very friendly guy. People were drawn to
him. We were all part of a very happy bureau at one time. It
was just kind of a fun time. Jim brought in a piano. He really
was an amazing man."
Abramson also described some of her road trips with Mr. Wilson
all over the West.
"There was the speeding ticket we got leaving Mustang Ranch
in Nevada. The flat tire that needed to be changed in rural Oregon
by one of us -- a gay guy and a Jewish girl -- on our way to
Rajneeshpuram." And another time, she said, when Mr. Wilson
rented them each Lincoln Town Cars for a story at Mono Lake.
Mr. Wilson loved playing Chopin and Debussy on his Steinway
and collecting first-edition novels and Meissen figurines. He
taught himself to speak French and traveled to Europe at least
once a year. An early pioneer of the vanity license plate, he
tooled around San Francisco for 30 years with one that read "Oui,
Oui."
Mr. Wilson was also known for being generous with his time and
money.
"Being with Jim was like being in a dream," said his
sister Ann Hotchkiss of Lincoln (Placer County). "He made
you feel like you were so important. He helped all of his sisters,
and it came from the heart."
After his retirement from Newsweek in 1995, he enjoyed spending
time at home with his partner of 29 years, Sal Archini, and working
in the backyard he had transformed into a mini Monet's garden.
In addition to his partner and sister, Mr. Wilson is survived
by his partner's sons, Chris and Steve Archini; his other sisters,
Fern DeLoach of St. Peters, Mo., Carole Wilson of Hayward, Pat
Irwin of Warren, Ohio, and Donna Wanstreet of Aurora, Ill.; and
his stepsister, Joanne Griffin of Ogden, Utah.
Contributions in his memory can be made to PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful
Support) at 645 Harrison St., Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94107.
The memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday at the
Sequoia Lodge, 2666 Mountain Blvd., Oakland.
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