JOHN FORD AND PHOTOGRAPHER MAUREEN CLARK

The other day I had a nice conversation with Maureen Clark, whose family operates Clark’s Trading Post in Lincoln, New Hampshire, a popular resort and vacation destination established in 1928. Maureen and her brother Murray conduct the trained bears show each summer, among other activities. In the 1980s in the colder months when the Trading Post was not open Maureen served as the staff photographer for Bowers and Merena Galleries. She had had extensive training in this field and was a professional. On one memorable occasion we traveled to the Philadelphia Mint to document the various production processes there.

John J. Ford, Jr., who lived in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York, was a fine friend and helped me with many research projects. On multiple occasions I drove to his home on Hendrickson Avenue in Rockville Centre to go through his archives and coin collection, the last stored in an immense combination bomb shelter and underground vault, complete with a heavy steel door and its own power and ventilation system.

Maureen and I discussed a couple of occasions when she went with me to take pictures of the 1785-1788 copper state coins and Machin’s Mills issues in his collection. John, always a “health nut,” took a liking to Maureen and invited her to have a bottle of some unusual nutritional soda he had discovered. She liked it, whereupon he gave her two cases of it to take home. Another time he told Maureen about his intent to move to Phoenix, Arizona. John had been a professional photographer in the late 1940s and almost died when his plane doing aerial work crashed. He walked away unhurt. John an inventory of cameras that were once top-line but had been replaced by newer models. He asked Maureen if she would like the entire collection. She said yes, and it was hers.

I add this as a nice remembrance of one the generous things he did for me and my associates years ago.

Wayne Homren, Editor

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