A modest and humble man, Tom Myers shared his life experience without any reservation. His legacy is the documentation of the Korean War, 1950s, to the ever-changing plateaus of Sacramento. A career of over 50 years, time has marked his work in historic measure; one that reads three quarters of a million photographs.
Tom Myers was born and raised in Chicago. At age 17 he quit high school and joined the Merchant Marines in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the Second World War. He recalled traveling to England on a ship with 5000 tons bombs and ammunition. A week after his initial sail, the ship Tom sailed on hit a terrible storm. Steering the ship became difficult for the Able Seaman, and Mr. Myers was summoned by senior officer to take control of the ship. Tom successfully steer the ship, Liberty, on its course. From that day until his last stay in the Second World War, the ever-resourceful Myers held the title Able Seaman, 3rd in command of a ten thousand pound ship, an incredible feat for a 19 year old.
After the war, Myers worked at a newspaper company writing editorials and advertising. He worked on weekly and daily newspapers for a number of years. At age 26, Myers entered his second war. Unlike the first time when he joined of free will, he got drafted for the Korean War. He argued he was not happy. “Harry Truman, I voted for him and he drafted me. And I was so mad at him.”
Although Myers was angry about being drafted, the Korean war gave him the opportunity to be a photojournalist. He took over 600 photographs during his stay. On returning home, he continued to take photographs, but as a hobby. Myers later met his wife Sally at a photography club. As their relationship grew into a marriage, so did the commercial stock photography company they formed.
Over the fifty years of documenting Sacramento, Myers documented a variety of subjects, from ostrich farms to the indigenous agriculture of Sacramento. He has documented many prominent symbolic landmarks which included the State Capital Building and the Sacramento Fair grounds. His camera’s shutter has closed over a million times. Myers has produced two books. The first book shows a sample of his life’s work as a photographer, and the second book features a series of postcards of Sacramento from 1900s.
In this convoluted congested world of art, few subjects get noted for their contribution, and although Tom did not claim the title Artist, he is without a doubt a great artist. His works are historical records of another time, countless hours, hundreds of subjects, and half a century of experience. At age 84, he continues to add more works of art to his collected treasures.
