Remembering 'One Shot Frony' a hall of fame photojournalist

The Southeast Missourian has a special interest in local history.

As the first version of history, newspaper journalists go out to gather the news and images of the day, and tell a community's story over time.

We enjoy sharing this local history on an ongoing basis. We don't just cover the news of today, but we share the news and images of the past to remind us how far we've come and sometimes how far we still need to go.

When we share the past with our current readers, we often share old photographs. And if you've seen old newspaper photographs on www.semissourian.com or on your Facebook feed, chances are you've seen the important work of Garland D. Fronabarger.

It was with great pleasure we learned recently of the induction of the late Fronabarger into the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame.

Later known as "One Shot Frony", the longtime photographer began working at the newspaper in 1927, the year of one of our country's great floods. Fronabarger retired in 1986 after almost 60 years at the newspaper. He died in 1992 at age 88.

Having lived and worked through the Great Depression, Fronabarger learned frugality. He often took one shot at an assignment, wanting to preserve film and chemicals needed to produce the images. To be able to do this, Frony needed to have both a meticulous eye for detail but also a tremendous expertise with the camera.

Sally Owen, who also worked with Fronabarger at the newspaper and recommended him for the honor, called him "an intellectual who never stopped learning ... an eager participant in things new to his community -- aviation in particular ... and [an] indefatigable booster of Cape Girardeau and Missouri."

"The photos that remain from his vast inventory are priceless reminders of people, places, occasions, sad times and good times and the phenomenal growth of the community he so loved," Owen wrote. "There is no better recipient for this honor than Garland Fronabarger."

Today we reflect on the productive career and the wonderful attributes of Fronabarger. Because of his dedication, we can look back at our city and see how Cape Girardeau and the surrounding areas grew through the years. We can look back on the faces of our grandparents and great-grandparents, and see how they lived, what they built and why they were important.

Today we remember Fronabarger as one of the best news photographers this state has ever seen.