Clifton Cedric Edom (February 12, 1907 – January 30, 1991), often credited with the title "Father of Photojournalism", was prolific in the development of

photojournalism Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

Biography

Edom was born in

Baylis, Illinois Baylis is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 200 at the 2010 census. Geography Baylis is located at (39.728579, -90.908144). According to the 2010 census, Baylis has a total area of , all land. Demographics ...

. After receiving a teaching certificate from the Western Illinois State Teachers College, now

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

, in 1925, he attended a Linotype school and worked for several

newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...

. He married Vilia Clarissa "Vi" Patefield (1908–2004) on June 30, 1928, and the couple bought the weekly ''Edgar News'' in Edgar, Wisconsin, working with it until 1930 when Edom began work with the ''Wausau Record-Herald'' in

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

. Five years later, the Edoms with their daughter Verna Mae "Vme", moved to

Aurora, Missouri Aurora is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,432. History The Honey Creek area, near Aurora was originally settled by p ...

, for Cliff to study under renowned photographer Charles S. Martz at Tasopé and he went on to serve as educational director of TASOPE, the Aurora School of Photo-Engraving, as well as

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of its magazine ''The Tasope News'', later ''PIX''.Radniecki, Regene. "Clifton Cedric Edom, Photojournalism Educator." M.A. thesis., Ohio University, 1995. In 1943,

Frank Luther Mott Frank Luther Mott (April 4, 1886 – October 23, 1964) was an American historian and journalist, who won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for History for Volumes II and III of his series, ''A History of American Magazines''. Early life and education Mott w ...

, dean of the

School of Journalism A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. 'J-School' is an increasingly used term for a journalism department at a school or college. Journalists in most parts of the ...

at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

at Columbia, recruited Edom to head the new photojournalism sequence. He also enrolled as an undergraduate; teaching classes he wasn't able to take until his junior year, and finally completed his

Bachelor of Journalism The Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) degree is a degree awarded at some universities to students who have studied journalism in a three or four year undergraduate program. In the United States, some schools that do not award the B.J. degree instead c ...

in 1946. Edom was prolific in his advancement of photojournalism as a recognized field, including the founding of Kappa Alpha Mu, the National Photojournalism Honors Society on April 20, 1945, and editing with Vi Edom the society's official publication, ''The National Photojournalist''. He also established the News Pictures of the Year Competition and Exhibition, now

Pictures of the Year International Pictures of the Year International (POYi) is a professional development program for visual journalists run on a non-profit basis by the Missouri School of Journalism's Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. POYi began as an annual competition f ...

(POYi), in 1944, incorporating the College Photographer of the Year competition the next year. In 1949, the Edoms founded the first

Missouri Photo Workshop The Missouri Photo Workshop is an annual week-long photojournalism school based in Lee Hills Hall at the Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri. Founded in 1949 by the "Father of Photojournalism" Cliff Edom along with American eco ...

to teach methods of research, observation, and timing in developing photostories of rural Missouri towns.Missouri Photo Workshop Year-by-Year

Roy Stryker Roy Emerson Stryker (November 5, 1893 – September 27, 1975) was an American economist, government official, and photographer. He headed the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the Great Depression, and launc ...

, Russell Lee,

Angus McDougall Angus William McDougall (2 April 1913 – 3 May 1983) was a New Zealand cricketer. A tall medium-pace bowler with a military bearing, and a useful lower-order batsman, McDougall played eight first-class matches for Otago between 1944 and ...

, among many other of America's leading newspaper and magazine photographers and editors, have served as faculty at the workshop. According to the Missouri Photo Workshop, Edom's credo was to "Show truth with a camera. Ideally truth is a matter of personal integrity. In no circumstances will a posed or fake photograph be tolerated." In 1955, Edom received the Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award from 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 ...

, which is "the highest honor in the field of photojournalism." Although he continued his involvement with the school, Edom retired from the University of Missouri in 1972. He and Vi established The Little Gallery in

Forsyth, Missouri Forsyth is a city in Taney County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,730 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Taney County. The town is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area. Forsyth is located on Lake T ...

, and Edom continued teaching at

Crowder College Crowder College is a public community college in Neosho, Missouri. It serves the Community College District of Newton and McDonald counties in southwestern Missouri and other outlying areas. The school enrolled 4,398 in 2019. Established in 1963 ...

Neosho, Missouri Neosho (; originally or ) is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city i ...

. He died in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postma ...

Legacy

In 1991, the

established the Clifton C. Edom Award, which "recognizes an individual in the tradition of Cliff Edom to inspire and motivate members of the photojournalism community to reach new heights." Vme Edom Smith founded the Cliff and Vi Edom Truth with a Camera Workshop, which is sponsored in part by the Clifton C. and Vilia C. Edom Foundation for Photojournalism Education.Truth with a Camera Workshop
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Bibliography

*''Halftone and Line Negatives with Your Photo-Enlarger: A Manual.'' Columbia, MO: Columbia Printing Co., 1951. *With Stanley Kalish. ''Picture Editing.'' New York: Rhinehart & Co., 1951. *''Missouri Sketch Book: a Collection of Words and Pictures of the Civil War.'' Columbia, MO: Lucas Bros., 1963. *''Photojournalism: Principles and Practices.'' Dubuque, Iowa: W. C. Brown Co., 1976. *With Vi Edom. ''Twice Told Tales and an Ozark Photo Album, with Emphasis on Taney County, Missouri.'' Republic, MO.: Western Printing Co., 1983. *With Vi Edom and Verna Mae Edom Smith. ''Small Town America: the Missouri Photo Workshops, 1949-1991.'' Golden, CO: Fulcrum Pub., 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edom, Clifton C. 1907 births 1991 deaths American photojournalists 20th-century American educators University of Missouri alumni University of Missouri faculty People from Columbia, Missouri People from Pike County, Illinois People from Aurora, Missouri