ROTTERDAM – Claude Sawyer loves country music.

Sawyer is one of our most prolific photographers at Nippertown, and not surprisingly, he photographs a lot of country concerts for our online magazine. He covers other genres, too, as he simply loves shooting from the pit. Over the years, he’s covered a litany of exceptional national and local musicians and photographs for WGNA, a local country radio station.

He even plays guitar and sings, which brought him to purchase a guitar a while back for his personal use. What he didn’t anticipate was that guitar ended up not being a good fit for his playing style. The beautiful instrument sat in his house waiting for its mission to be envisioned and actualized by Sawyer.

Sawyer re-imagined the guitar covered in signatures by country artists who visit the Capital Region and auction it off to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

“The idea just came to me that I could really help St. Jude. The WGNA radio-a-thon raffles off a guitar an hour signed by one artist for St. Jude, and it sparked the idea,” Sawyer mused.

St. Jude is often on Sawyer’s mind and heart. A dear friend and colleague, Don DeMarco, lost his then 12-year-old son to cancer. “I got to watch Tyler DeMarco grow, play little league, and then battle cancer,” he shared. “St. Jude did a lot to support them, and I wanted to give back.”

DeMarco’s son Tyler was a fixture in Rotterdam on the baseball field, so much so that the local Little League retired his number after his passing. His family and our community continue to celebrate his spirit and life to this day through work at the Tyler DeMarco Foundation.

St. Jude is world known for its advances in cancer treatment for children – and its policy that no one is turned away due to inability to pay. Sawyer was so impressed by them; he was inspired to find a way to help them further their goals.

“When I bought this guitar, I really wanted it. The instrument is beautiful. But when I started to play it, something didn’t feel right,” he recalled. He soon recognized that the guitar’s true mission was outside his hands.

The guitar’s purpose was instead in the hands of dozens of musicians who have come to sign it. When Sawyer covers a concert, he requests the artist to sign the guitar. Often this involves Sawyer dropping the guitar off to a publicist with a Sharpie, but sometimes he also gets to meet the artists. That was never the goal, as Sawyer was simply hoping for a donated signature to benefit the cause.

“So far, I have 16 artists’ signatures, and I’m hopeful about this summer adding more to it, especially as the artists roll through SPAC,” Sawyer remarked. Hardy signed it, as has Cody Johnson, Dalton Dover, Morgan Wade, and others.

“I like all kinds of music, but I love country, so it’s a real kick to do this themed guitar,” Sawyer noted. He’s also considering similar projects themed around other genres in the future.

Sawyer’s music photography is just one of many hobbies that keep him busy. He also photographs sports and provides professional headshots, runs a DJ business, and closest to his heart is his role as father to his boys.

“I love going to their baseball games,” he admits. While his own kids have been blessed with good health, Sawyer has a big heart for children and an appreciation for St. Jude.

“I get to shoot so many shows and realized I have an opportunity to do some good here. I love concert photography, and I do it for fun. I don’t need it to put food on the table, so that frees me up a bit,” Sawyer reflected. “Jim (Gilbert) was the first and only concert photographer to respond to me a few years back when I reached out to a bunch of people to learn the ropes. I love Jim for his honest and non-competitive response.”

“It’s fun. I’m building a portfolio, and I attend concerts with Blythe, my partner.” Sawyer and his partner have attended over 80 concerts, and he’s exceeded 250. As for photography, Sawyer reports, “I’m also finding it visually interesting.” Sawyer’s photographs are getting him some attention, too, as others experience the visual interest. He was recently asked by Boz Scaggs to photograph the band for the day.

Sawyer’s guitar project will keep him busy through the fall, and he hopes to have added many more signatures by national acts through the summer and turning weather.

He teased, “Stay tuned for the auction process. I’m aiming for December.” The guitar without signatures is worth $500, so with signatures, he is hoping to raise quite a bit more than that for St. Jude.

Until then, fans can enjoy Sawyer’s photos on Nippertown — and anticipate the final collection of signatures on guitar. We plan to follow Sawyer’s progress, so keep in touch with Nippertown to learn how you can bid on the guitar and support St. Jude as well.

Olympia has been home to many professional photographers over the decades. One of the leading commercial photographers in the mid-20th century was Merle Junk. From snapshots of events and buildings to weddings and family portraits, his work offers a window into history, bridging the past and present.

Merle Junk Early Life

Merle Pinkerton Junk was born on June 2, 1899 in Fairfax, Iowa to James Junk (1848-1936) and Lucretia Loomis Junk (1853-1944), the youngest of six children. The family soon moved from their farm in Iowa to Montesano, Washington before relocating to Olympia in 1908.

Junk attended Lincoln School, even making the third-grade honor roll in Miss Scroggs’ class. As a teenager, he was active in the YMCA and Christian Endeavor at the United Churches where he remained an active member the rest of his life. Senior class treasurer, Junk graduated from Olympia High School in 1918. His nickname in the yearbook was “Just Junk.”

Then Junk joined the Student Army Training Corps (now ROTC), and studied mechanical engineering at Washington State University, hoping to build bridges. After two years, he changed his mind and became district manager for Olympia’s Buckeye Extract Company in Aberdeen.

In September 1923 he married Marjorie Cook (1901-1997) of Tumwater, also an OHS graduate and WSU student. The couple had three sons: Richard, Willard and Robert. Marjorie was active with the PTA, Daughters of the Pioneers and United Churches.  

Becoming a Historic Olympia Photographer

Moving back to Olympia around 1924, Junk first worked as proprietor of the E & H Auto Paint Shop. In July 1925 he opened The Picture Shop with Ralph Haycox, who had owned the paint store, at 621 Capitol Way. This shop concentrated on cameras, photography and picture frames. They also sold gifts.

This business moved to the new Security Building (203 E Fourth Avenue). In July 1930, Junk partnered with Ralph Haycox and Paul Woods to form the Olympia Office Supply Company in the same space. Overseeing it as president, the store continued to offer commercial photography and photo developing, but in addition marketed commercial stationery and office furnishings.

In 1931, Junk founded Silvertone Studios (1067 Capitol Way). Quickly renamed Silvertone Photo Co., the business eventually moved and became the Merle Junk Photo and Litho Company, or simply Merle Junk Photos (117 Legion Way West). Junk employed other photographers, including William McNeil and George Bradley, in the 1950s.

Junk’s work was highly regarded. Describing his September 1932 photos of the “Olympia Model Home,” the Daily Olympian celebrated that: “Junk specializes in photography used to exploit the beauties of property, real or otherwise. Junk’s photography, well known in Olympia, has reached a perfection seldom, if ever, surpassed for use in advertising mediums.”

Over the years he photographed portraits, groups, clubs and weddings. He was also the official photographer for the Olympia school district, taking photos of students for over 30 years. Several state agencies contracted him to document things such as the construction of I-5, earthquake damage to state buildings and tourism promotion.

Through this and work for the Daily Olympian, Junk captured images of local events and places. Sometimes the events were tragic, like the Olympia Regional Airport’s first fatal crash in 1936 and the burning of the Buchanan Lumber Mill on West Bay Drive in 1935. He also photographed happier events such as club meetings and special events like the 1947 Dairy Maid of the West competition or Mayor Amanda Smith slicing a cake to celebrate Olympia’s centennial of its incorporation in 1959.

Some of his work was published to promote the Olympia area, including a 1959 Chamber of Commerce tourist brochure. A picture he took of the capitol was put on a Royal Stafford Bone China souvenir cup and saucer – and other matching pieces – designed by Dolores Merrill that was sold at Talcotts in the 1952.

Merle Junk Was Active in Olympia Clubs

Junk was active in Olympia clubs. He was the first president of the Active Club when it formed in 1925 and continued to serve as trustee for many years. The Active Club sponsored Boy Scout Troop 31 when it started in 1932. Scoutmaster for many years, Junk was also neighborhood, Olympia district, and Thurston County district chairs for the scouts.

Junk was elected president of the Lions Club in 1953 and was a member of the Toastmasters Club, Red Cross, YMCA, and Elks. He also served on the Retail Board and local United Way board.

During the 1950s to the early 1970s, Junk headed the committee that handed out free ice cream and movie tickets to children at the end of the annual Pet Parade. He also regularly awarded an 8-inch-by-10-inch photo of the winning child and their dog in the best dressed large dog category.

Merle Junk: Later Years

In 1967 Junk sold his business to Dean Palmer of Shelton. Renamed Dean and Merle Photography, he stayed on as a production advisor until retiring. He passed away on September 16, 1981. Around 2,000 of his photos eventually became part of the Susan Parish Collection at the Washington State Archives.

While he did not become an engineer, during his lifetime Junk built bridges through his photos, bringing people together. His historic photos recorded treasured family images, past events and places. “In the years to come,” ran a holiday ad for his studio in 1964, a family photograph “will be one of your most prized possessions.” It was after all, as his slogan went, “The gift only you can give.”