The Wall of Distinction
(C) 2008 Syracuse Press Club.
Veronica Schwartz
Herald-Journal
Herald American
The Post-Standard
She was gifted with a sensitivity behind the lens of a camera that made Veronica O. Schwartz one of the best photographers at the Syracuse Newspapers.
In 1945, "Ronnie," as her friends and associates called her, joined the Herald-Journal as the first woman photographer at the newspaper. Her work was soon recognized as "creative, competent and conscientious." She was particularly good at photographing babies, young children, and pets, all of which she loved. Editors noted her sensitivity to these subjects and often assigned her photo shoots involving children and animals. But editors also found Ronnie equally good at pictures of political and business leaders, fires and accidents.
Her interest in photography started when she was quite young. The first of hundreds of celebrities she photographed was Alf Landon when he stopped in Syracuse during the 1936 presidential campaign against Franklin D. Roosevelt for president. When Roosevelt came to town, she also photographed him. She photographed every subsequent US president until she retired in 1973.
During World War II, Ronnie and her husband, Wickham Schwartz, worked for the US Government in the Frankfort Armory in Philadelphia. Their job was to train war workers who produced photographic equipment for both the European and Pacific theaters of war. Unfortunately, "Wick" became seriously ill while in that job, so he and Ronnie moved back to Syracuse.
After her husband died, Ronnie worked for the Associated Press as a photographer covering news around Central New York. After a year, she left the AP wire service to join the Syracuse Herald- Journal and was assigned to the Fulton Bureau - as a reporter! Soon after, she was transferred to the newspaper's headquarters in Syracuse and returned to her first love, photography.
Being the first woman photographer at the newspaper, she had to earn the respect of her male colleagues in the department by accepting all kinds of assignments. "She pulled her weight," they later said. "She went out on accidents and fires like everyone else. She was compassionate, and was a good photographer as well as a good friend."
During her 28-year career as a news photographer, Ronnie once recalled she had the opportunity to travel with her camera to almost every part of New York State.
After Ronnie's retirement, the Everson Museum sponsored a special exhibit of her photographs as a tribute to her. She was 80 when she died in 1990. --Joseph A. Porcello
Herald-Journal
Herald American
The Post-Standard
She was gifted with a sensitivity behind the lens of a camera that made Veronica O. Schwartz one of the best photographers at the Syracuse Newspapers.
In 1945, "Ronnie," as her friends and associates called her, joined the Herald-Journal as the first woman photographer at the newspaper. Her work was soon recognized as "creative, competent and conscientious." She was particularly good at photographing babies, young children, and pets, all of which she loved. Editors noted her sensitivity to these subjects and often assigned her photo shoots involving children and animals. But editors also found Ronnie equally good at pictures of political and business leaders, fires and accidents.
Her interest in photography started when she was quite young. The first of hundreds of celebrities she photographed was Alf Landon when he stopped in Syracuse during the 1936 presidential campaign against Franklin D. Roosevelt for president. When Roosevelt came to town, she also photographed him. She photographed every subsequent US president until she retired in 1973.
During World War II, Ronnie and her husband, Wickham Schwartz, worked for the US Government in the Frankfort Armory in Philadelphia. Their job was to train war workers who produced photographic equipment for both the European and Pacific theaters of war. Unfortunately, "Wick" became seriously ill while in that job, so he and Ronnie moved back to Syracuse.
After her husband died, Ronnie worked for the Associated Press as a photographer covering news around Central New York. After a year, she left the AP wire service to join the Syracuse Herald- Journal and was assigned to the Fulton Bureau - as a reporter! Soon after, she was transferred to the newspaper's headquarters in Syracuse and returned to her first love, photography.
Being the first woman photographer at the newspaper, she had to earn the respect of her male colleagues in the department by accepting all kinds of assignments. "She pulled her weight," they later said. "She went out on accidents and fires like everyone else. She was compassionate, and was a good photographer as well as a good friend."
During her 28-year career as a news photographer, Ronnie once recalled she had the opportunity to travel with her camera to almost every part of New York State.
After Ronnie's retirement, the Everson Museum sponsored a special exhibit of her photographs as a tribute to her. She was 80 when she died in 1990. --Joseph A. Porcello
