I told Rocky his visit would be truly a gift on my birthday.
It was.
The first time I ever met Rocky Kenworthy he approached me in the school hallway and asked if he could be on the Monticola yearbook staff at Sandpoint High School.
I said no.
After all, I already had two sophomores and had usually kept the number limited to one. To have a third would be pushing it in my teaching mind at the time.
Rocky would not give up.
About the third or fourth time, he approached me, asking as politely and persuasively as possible, I gave in.
I'm glad I did.
Rocky spent three years as a member of the yearbook staff, contributing as and growing as a photographer.
He had a nice advantage. Outside of school he had a job for Dr. Forrest Bird, famed inventor of the first reliable mass-produced mechanical ventilators for acute and chronic cardiopulmonary care.
Dr. Bird lived down the road from Rocky at the time and recognized in him the desire to learn. Eventually, serving as a true mentor, he opened many doors for the young teen, providing him support with equipment and encouragement for learning the art of photography.
Rocky's photography journey took him to Spokane for school and work and eventually to New York City where he knocked on doors, leaving a portfolio even with famed photographer Annie Leibowitz.
He has traveled the world as a photographer, assisting with photos of four world figures for the 1993 Time Magazine Men of the year: Mandela, de Clerk, Rabin and Arafat.
Rocky shared a story again yesterday, telling of the restricted schedule the photographers were required to follow along with the intense search of all their equipment by armed guards on a dark night as they prepared to have all of ten minutes to take Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's portrait in the middle of the night in an unknown room somewhere in Tunisia where Arafat was hiding at the time.
Rocky recalled the leader as short, charismatic and much better looking than his pictures.
His photographic work has also included assisting with several Rolling Stone Magazine covers.
These days Rocky works in the printing end of photography, preparing prints to be sent all over the world, including museum displays.
So, to say photography tended to be a topic during our fascinating visit yesterday would be an understatement.
We had time for him to reconnect with Willie, Bill and my sisters and to meet Debbie for the first time at the Bonner Community Food Bank, where the garden, created through volunteer work and donations, is flourishing.
It's a place where clients can enjoy the freshest of produce.
Throughout our day-long visit, Rocky also met the Lovestead horses and took several selfies with CB for his horse-loving daughter.
We finished the day with good food and conversation at Ice House Pizza and secured a promise from Rocky that we'd see him more often than every 20 years from now on.
Twas a great day, and I thank you, Rocky, for your persistance of so long ago. Quite a journey you've taken since those days.
Keep up the good work. Thanks for the gift of your visit.
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