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Tell us Your Story: Jim Gehrz, a life in photos

Retired Star Tribune photographer Jim Gehrz is the latest featured in our ongoing series called Tell us Your Story, a salute to former journalists who have moved on to new adventures.

Like most of the reporters and photojournalists I’ve had the privilege to work with, journalism has always felt less like a job and more like a calling. Initially I was smitten by the discovery of buried treasure, captivated by the magical emergence of an image from the murky-orange depths of Dektol developer.  It wasn’t until I realized that photography is a universal language that I came to fully appreciate the power of the moment, and my passion for telling stories was stirred forever.

Right after, “How many megapixels does your camera have?”  the question asked most often during my photojournalism career has been, “Do you have a favorite story?” There have been too many to count! But honestly, what I love most is the journey – the wondrous discovery process of searching for the truth, following a story as it unfolds and finally finding that elusive thread that knits the narrative together.

One such journey involved a female soldier who was critically injured by a roadside bomb. Jessica Clements was a patient at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, trying to regain the strength to survive an operation. For several months I chronicled her recovery. It wasn’t until early morning at about 2 a.m., driving along a dark, unfamiliar Ohio turnpike to a family welcoming celebration for Jessica — that the more profound nature of her ordeal found me. I remember praying for my own son, then serving his first tour as a Navy Corpsman in Iraq. Praying for him to be granted the same cherished gift that Jessica and her family were about to receive. Jessica’s tale had always run much deeper than just recovery — hers was a story of hope and of a soldier’s desperate struggle to go home.

Staff Sgt. Jessica Clements, 27, was critically injured by a roadside bomb the Iraq. (Star Tribune, 2004)

About a year later I learned of another Iraq War casualty, this time a military priest. Blinded in one eye, Father Tim Vakoc also suffered a devastating brain injury and had not spoken in the year since. For several weeks I photographed the priest’s recovery, but the entire time he seemed unaware of his surroundings. One afternoon a caregiver suggested I show a photograph of my son in his camouflage uniform to Fr. Tim. Surprisingly, he reached out from his bed, grabbed the picture and held it close for better look. It seemed as though Fr. Tim had been reserving every ounce of his strength over the past year to heal. Soon after, Tim began speech therapy. When I listened to a recording of his frail, unsure voice as he tried, almost inaudibly, to recite the Lord’s Prayer — I knew his real story had finally found me. Fr. Tim’s story was not just about physical recovery, it was about the resilience of the human spirit and one man’s quiet struggle to regain his voice. The car accident attorney serving in the ATX area can help with all accident and injury cases.

The harmonies of religious chants filled hospital room of Father Tim Vakoc, as members of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace gathered at the priest’s bedside in the early evening hours to offer prayer and inspiration. (Star Tribune, 2005)

When I look back at my 40 year career as a newspaper photojournalist, I don’t think most about covering Denver’s dramatic win over Green Bay in the Super Bowl XXXII, or having had a one-on-one photo session with the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. What I remember are the inspirational stories about the remarkable lives of everyday people, people like Fr. Tim.

I believe these kinds of stories are more important than ever. Newspapers aren’t dying, they’re changing. There are valid criticisms of the business to be sure, but the ideals of journalism have never been more important. Technology has allowed us to post photographs and video instantly and to produce ever more sophisticated multimedia stories that weren’t possible just a few years ago. Despite the challenges, the power of the decisive moment, that point when all of the elements align to form an instant of clarity — that endures. It’s more relevant than ever. I still believe that Journalism remains a great profession for an idealist.

Jim lives in St. Paul near family. He enjoys spending time with his three grandchildren, and is looking forward to the arrival of another granddaughter in July.

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Some of Jim’s favorite photos:

A man carried his 8-year-old god daughter playfully through a sprinkler on a hot, June afternoon at Metcalfe Park in Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1998)
Photograph accompanied a print story and audio slide show about a single father who was raising his children in Minneapolis. (Star Tribune, 2007)
A group of Mennonites made a journey from their homes in rural Wisconsin to downtown Milwaukee in an effort to share their faith with others. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1996)
A Milwaukee Police Officer comforted a child who had escaped a house fire. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1997)
The Rev, Jesse Jackson wept during a tribute to late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1996)
A woman in Muslim dress strolled past Minnesotans dressed in more traditional Minnesota, winter attire in downtown Minneapolis. Photograph accompanied a project about immigration in the state in 2000. (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 2000)
A three-year-old boy waited in the arms of his father to be photographed with the judge following a naturalization ceremony in Minneapolis. (Star Tribune, 2005)
Photograph ran as a double-truck in a special section at the Worthington Daily Globe in 1985 for a story about immigrants from Southeast Asia. (Worthington Daily Globe, 1985)
Archbishop Bernard Hebda was greeted by faithful, including several children, at the conclusion of a Mass of Installation at the Cathedral of St. Paul. (Star Tribune, 2016)
Photograph accompanied a story about a couple who raised a pair of geese at their rural Minnesota home. (Star Tribune, 2007)
Lead photograph from a story about the one-year anniversary of babies who were born on the day of the terrorist attacks on the United States, September 11, 2001. (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 2001)

Staff Sgt. Jessica Clements, 27, was critically injured by a roadside bomb the Iraq. (Star Tribune, 2004)
The harmonies of religious chants filled hospital room of Father Tim Vakoc, as members of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace gathered at the priest’s bedside in the early evening hours to offer prayer and inspiration. (Star Tribune, 2005)
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral service and interment for U.S. Army Pfc. Ryane Clark, in Spicer, MN. (Star Tribune, 2010)
Minnesota National Guard soldiers and their families gathered in New Ulm recently for a deployment ceremony as members of the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery prepare for deployment in Kuwait as part of Operation New Dawn. Following the ceremony, spotlights cast shadows of those who passed by a huge, American flag on the stage where troops and their families had been invited for a post-ceremony reception. Photograph accompanied a project about suicide in the military. (Star Tribune, 2011)
A man wielded a knife from an apartment in Milwaukee, where he was holding a hostage. Police later shot the suspect and freed the hostage.
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1996)
A curious child looked on as Milwaukee police officers mounted an assault to rescue a hostage who was being held by a man with a knife. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1996)

Quarterback John Elway celebrated the Denver Broncos’ victory over Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1998)