meet pete

I've been fortunate to meet a couple famous and sorta famous people over the years. One of them is Pete Souza who will soon be the official White House photographer for President-elect Barack Obama. In the fall of 1980 I got to hang out with Pete for a couple hours when he was a staff photographer for the Hutchinson News. I was an aspiring news photographer my first semester at Dodge City Community College, and I wanted to see how the pros did it. Back in those days, the Hutch News always had one of the best group of photographers in the midwest. The editor had a great knack for finding young, very talented photographers. Souza was one of those guys. I called to ask if I could hang out with the photographers for a day - and they said yes.

Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the meeting Pete or my tag-along assignment. But I do remember following Pete's quick rise to photo superstar. After leaving the Hutch News, Souza worked for the Chicago Sun-Times, then became a Washington correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Then at age 28, he became Chief White House photographer for the late President Ronald Reagan. He has also freelanced for National Geographic and Life Magazine. Pete met and photographed Barack Obama when he was a newly elected U.S. senator from Illinois. And now, Pete is in the White House again.

Too bad I didn't get a quick photo of Pete and me back in 1980. You just never know who will become famous someday.