Gordon Ward Gahan (November 5, 1945 – October 19, 1984) was an American

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

Biography

Gahan was born at Sloane Hospital for Women in Manhattan, to Alice M. Ward (housewife, age 37), and Edmund Gahan (owner of an oil well supply business, age 48). He attended

Harrison High School Harrison High School may refer to: in the United States ''(by state)'' *Harrison High School (Harrison, Arkansas), listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Harrison High School (Colorado Springs) — Colorado Springs, Colorado * Har ...

, where he played on the football team. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy (1959-1963), where he served on the Photographic Boards of the Exonian and the Yearbook. He attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(1963-1964). He worked for

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

(1965-1966), then was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, and worked as a photographer in Vietnam during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

(1966-1968). Gahan is best known for his contributions to the '' National Geographic'' in the 1970s and 1980s. He began working for the National Geographic Society in 1968 as a contract photographer, and joined the staff in 1972. Assignments took Gahan around the world—to Japan, Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Soviet Union, East and West Germany, France, Switzerland, Portugal, England, Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, and Tonga. He left the National Geographic Society in 1982 to co-found Prism Photography Inc., with Martin Rogers and Howie Shneyer, in New York City. Gahan died in 1984, while taking aerial photographs in the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Cro ...

for a client. He and his assistant, Joseph Capitelli, died along with the pilot when a helicopter crashed near St. Thomas during the photo shoot.

Awards

Gahan's photography has won awards including the 1969 and 1970 Pictures of the Year competition sponsored by the

National Press Photographers Association The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is an American professional association made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field. Founded in 1946, the organization is based in at ...

and the

University of Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic commu ...

. Gahan's work has been exhibited at the

Corcoran Gallery The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Desi ...

and at Harvard University. Gahan was introduced to US President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

in 1972.Harvard website, Gahan, Gordon W. Gordon Ward Gahan photographs and papers, 1950-1984: Guide (accessed 12 March 2012)
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Published works

''National Geographic'' issues with contributions by Gordon Gahan

*The Coming Revolution in Transportation, September 1969, pp. 301–341 *The Lights Are Up at Ford’s Theatre, Mar. 1970, pp. 392–401 *In Search of Man's Past at Lake Rudolf, May 1970, pp. 712–734 *The Exquisite Orchids, Apr. 1971, pp. 484–513 *Maui, Where Old Hawaii Still Lives, Apr. 1971, pp. 514–543 *Captain Cook: The Man Who Mapped the Pacific, September 1971, pp. 297–349 *The More Paris Changes...., July 1972, pp. 64–103 *Drought Bedevils Brazil's Sertão, November 1972, pp. 704–723 *Israel—The Seventh Day, December 1972, pp. 816–855 *This Changing Earth, January 1973, pp. 1–37 *France’s Wild, Watery South, the Camargue, May 1973, pp. 696–726 *Mexico, the City That Founded a Nation, May 1973, pp. 638–669 *East Germany: The Struggle to Succeed, September 1974, pp. 295–329 *Queen Elizabeth's Favorite Sea Dog: Sir Francis Drake, February 1975, pp. 216–253 *Nova Scotia, the Magnificent Anchorage, March 1975, pp. 334–363 *Turkey: Cross Fire at an Ancient Crossroads, July 1977, pp. 88–123 *Imperial Russia's Glittering Legacy, January 1978, pp. 24–33 *Moscow: The City Around Red Square, January 1978, pp. 2–45 *Minoans and Mycenaeans: Greece's Brilliant Bronze Age, February 1978, pp. 142–185*Texas! National Geographic Magazine, Apr. 1980, pp. 440–483 *Napoleon, February 1982, pp. 142–189 *Santa Fe: Goal at the End of the Trail, March 1982, pp. 322–345

National Geographic Society books with photographs by Gordon Gahan

*The Renaissance: Maker of Modern Man, 1970 *Great Religions of the World, 1971 *A Day in the Woods, 1975 *Mysteries of the Ancient World, 1979 *Voyages to Paradise: Exploring in the Wake of Captain Cook, 1981

References

Selected bibliography

*Michael Kukler, "Mike Garfield and Gordon W. Gahan," National Vietnam Veterans Review, une 1982?*"Obituaries: Gordon Gahan, Photographer, Killed in Crash,", ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, October 21, 1984 *Jane Livingston. Odyssey: the art of photography at National Geographic. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, 1988. Photo on Plate no. 237; bio on p. 352 *C.D.B. Bryan. The National Geographic Society: 100 Years of Adventure and Discovery. Abrams, 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gahan, Gordon 1945 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American photographers Columbia University alumni Phillips Exeter Academy alumni