National Kiss Off / Join the Impact-Chicago

I attended my first event since joining... www.jointheimpactchicago.com on August 15th. Together with 41 other cities, it was time to fight back the recent arrest of several gay people in Utah and Texas and elsewhere, just for kissing in public. I loved the spirit of these young activists. The rally was very successful. It was held at Millennium Park in front of Cloud Gate (aka The Bean). I volunteered to be a Gay Flag bearer. Other volunteers handed out candy kisses.


It was a beautiful day... while several million people took in the Air Show at North Avenue Beach, there were the many tourist visiting the free attractions at the downtown park. I was stopped by quite a few tourist, asking "what the celebration was all about"? Many were with their children. I explained about the arrest... and the need to let people know, even though it is the 21st Century... these things are still happening. I also added my own reasons for getting involved. Over 50 years ago, at the same location (when it was called Grant Park) I was walking with my first lover, and remember thinking to myself... why can't we hold hands? Who would we be hurting just doing so? Well, that was long ago... It's sad to know... in some places, some people are still getting arrested... just for being themselves.



It reminded me of my friend Leonard Matlovich, (who was kicked out of the Army, for being gay and it made the cover of "Time" Magazine back in September of 1975. (His official web-site LEOARDMATLOVICH.COM) He died in 1988, and on his tombstone at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington D.C. it is engraved... WHEN I WAS IN THE MILITARY THEY GAVE ME A MEDAL FOR KILLING TWO MEN AND A DISCHARGE FOR LOVING ONE.

This is also one of the reasons for marching in October.
Equal rights for gays, in the Army, in marriage... here, there and everywhere, and until that happens, there will always be a need to SPEAK OUT AND FIGHT BACK!

Lee Balterman... In my thoughts (FOR LEE'S DEATH CHECK THIS SITE FOR MARCH-2012)

LEE BALTERMAN FAN...

PLEASE NOTE, SINCE THIS STORY RAN- I HAVE POSTED SEVERAL STORIES ABOUT LEE BALTERMAN, INCLUDING LEE'S DEATH CAN BE FOUND ON THIS SITE FOR MARCH 2012 , AND BY LOOKING UP PREVIOUS POST IN MY ARCHIVE LABEL SECTION, UNDER LEE'S NAME. J.P. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL ME @ jerrypritikin@yahoo.com

The profile image of me on this site was taken by famed photographer Lee Balterman, who only has 2 Life Magazine covers to his credit, and was a staff photographer for Time-Life & Sports Illustrated just to name a few. I usually play phone tag with him and vice versa to see what is on Lee's agenda. It is seldom that we ever plan ahead. However, tomorrow we had a date with partners of a well known sports auction house in the East. Lee was going to sell his sports collection, and for the past year plus, he was getting it into some kind of order from the past 50 years. I first met Lee just after the final outs of the Cubs/ Padres 1984 N.L. Play-offs... the game was in San Diego... but here in Chicago, Cubs fans hung around the Wrigleyville sports bars, especially Murphy's Bleachers. The Pennant went down the drain, when First Baseman Leon Durham booted a play that led to the Cubs downfall. I was there with my life size Voodoo Doll... dressed in the Padre's ugly uniform.



The rainy afternoon added at least 20 ponds to my cotton stuffed friend. I was interviewed by USA TODAY... and as the reporter asked me my thoughts on the Cubs loss... and on "Q" a tear came to my eye. It was the first place nationally that I was tabbed "The Bleacher Preacher". A few hours later, I was still on Addison, near the Tents that popped up containing the latest "Cubs" gear, selling at better than half off, that including Pennants and T-shirts announcing The 1984 World Series Cubs Edition, that became instant collectables. It was there, that Lee was shooting the aftermath of their final game of the year. Lee took a few photos of me... then we walked towards the #36 bus. Then we talked Cubs, Chicago, and photography for most of the next 29 years...

About 3 years ago I had read in a newspaper about an auction house that bought up a famed early sports photographer's collection. And I sent them contact information for Lee... but be that as it may... they never contacted him. Then last month I was meeting Lee to celebrate his 89th birthday... and he handed me a copy of the letter I had sent to that auction house. I resent it, and this time they called back within a few minutes... and was able to set up a date to see Lee's collection. Well... that was to be tomorrow. For the past month, Lee has been working to put it into some kind of order... mostly baseball, but he also shot Mohammed Ali, Sonny Liston and 40 years ago took photos for Life of Buzz Aldrin's wife. Last night, I received a message that Lee was in Northwestern Hospital... and this morning I found out he had a stroke. I just got back from visiting him... and he is partially paralyzed... but he able to speak and recall... and we hope soon for his complete recovery. I am posting a few of Lee's images...
Get Well Soon Lee!



Carmella Hartigan, Margie and Lee circa about 2001

I speak only for myself... I RATHER BE IN AMERICA!

After 72 years plus... I left the country for the first time for more than a few hours. During the 50's I made it to Hawaii before it was a state. A few years later... I left the country in Miami Florida to go to Bimini Island in the Bahamas. I managed to spend an hour in Juarez Mexico just over the border of El Paso.. This time I had to get a passport. Traveling today... you give up a lot of your time in the name of safety. The trip opened my eyes to yesterday's Greece... and today's changing times. There was no love towards Americans, Jews and Yankee Dollars... every thing is in Euros... I had saved some ticket stubs from the side trips in Greece and Turkey... and one in particular. The "Palace of Poseidon" near Athens... However... a senior moment has blocked out where I put them... I am also disappointed that I did not take a photograph of the sign hanging in the entrance box office declaring 4 Euros, but only 2 if you are 65 and older. So for a change, we felt we were getting some bargain in Greece. It didn't last long.
When my brother asked for the discounted price... he was asked "Where are you from?" and he said "the United States!" And then he was told... the discount is only for Europeans! Can you imagine what would have happened if we had done that at our National Parks, and other Treasures?
In fact, the other day my brother treated me and his grandsons to go to the Sears Tower... primarily to step out on the new glass enclosure 103 stories above the ground. Ironically a couple of days later it's now known as "The Willis Towers". He remarked "We should be charging Europeans extra, too. ... this blog was never intended to be a travel guide. However... it's too late for Oprah to take her crew elsewhere. I read she was taking her staff on a cruse to Greece,Turkey, Malta and elsewhere. I am sure there are many places in America that she has never seen. I urge you to $pend your money in the U.S.A.!. Keep Americans working, and, feed the hungary,too.

I am still waiting to read comments from those who spend more than a few seconds on my blog. Even if it has nothing to do with the blog. Let me know you are out there..
And what you think of it... The price is right!


Mykonos


Our Guide to Ephesus


Ephesus


Santorini Greece


Old City Rhodes 6/3/2009


Jewish Community of Rhodes Est.1577 6/3/2009

Welcome, and take a minute... Up to date

OSMOSIS:
I recently returned from Greece and Turkey, my brother and I visited our older brother... now living there.
He's looking forward to life beyond his next birthday in late October. His life is like an O'Henry story. We spent 17 days out of the country. With most of our time in the suburbs of Athens... and a 7 day cruse. I was given a new Canon G10... and it's making me look like a photographer. I was always in luck getting results... and they got better as I changed cameras....FTB to AE1... and thankfully because... then as now... I always depended on the kindness of my camera's ability to succeed, even while I made mistakes...


Sears Tower "WEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee" my brother and his grandkids 103 stories high Sears Tower


The view from my apartment


A day in the life - June 2009 Oak Street Beech... he was having a good time with friends.


Rainbow over Chicago's Trump Tower


Hands full of Pride! Chicago 2009 Gay Pride Parade

On my recent trip to Greece... it's nice to know that Gay Rights is no longer just a local happening...



More pictures and updates coming soon... Happy 4th of July! Jerry

Show at Scot's!

Click this image to enlarge... I am showing some historic photos this month at Scot's Bar in Chicago... if you are in town, please join us for the opening...

coming soon...

to Scot's Bar in Chicago: A show of photographs by Jerry Pritikin
http://chicagoscotsbar.com/

The show will be opening in May 2009 (check here for exact date to be announced)

Before the World Wide Web... I first exposed my photographic journal via the windows
of Gerogianna's Bakery at 420 Castro Street... just a few steps away from today's Harvey Milk Plaza.
This image is from the Bi-Centennial year-1976


(c) Jerry Pritikin

Recently, the mother of the girl holding the doll wearing an Areatha Franklin-like hat... contacted me, and asked if I remembered the day.... I spent with her family in Golden Gate Park. She was a fan of the window and asked me to shoot her kids! And, it turned out as a good day for all of us, in Golden Gate Park. The story of the Shoot is coming soon on this site.



Sara McAlister-1976 (c) Jerry Pritikin


THANKS TO SCOT'S BAR ... a neighborhood tavern, ... like Archey Bunker's place, except it's in Chicago... and it's a gay! I am putting together Images from the bakery shop window, and the stories behind them. Plus several photos of events portrayed in Gus Van Sant's "MILK" movie... however they are the real thing... taken at the time the events took place, and are not a recreations. Plus images from San Francisco early gay politics and sports, and the nation's first gay organized Softball League. Their managers, and the players and thousands of fans and my moments playing and pitching for a Championship team... tell of a rich era in sportsmanship and legendary characters...

Hope you plan to visit... in person.

CUBS Opening Day...2009 "What if?"

What if? ... At the age of 8, my dad took me to my first Cubs game late in the summer of 1945... at beautiful Wrigley Field. A few weeks later, when the Cubs clinched the pennant, I asked him to take me to the World Series. He said I was too young, but he made me a promise... he would take me the next time the Cubs won the pennant! It was that "PROMISE" that made me a life long Cubs fan.

In 1984.. The Cubs were one game away from getting into the World Series, but somehow lost the next 3 games to the Padres. Based on that history, and cheap seats costing only a few bucks... I evolved into becoming the "Bleacher Preacher"for the next 25 years... looking for closure to my dad's PROMISE.(Harry Caray tabbed me as the Cubs #1 Fan in '87) In 2003, the Cubs were within 5 outs of getting "ME" the PROMISED LAND... but be that as it may, a guy named BARTMAN got between the World Series and "MY" destiny.For the last 2 seasons... the Cubs made the post season, only to be eliminated as fast as you can say "JACK ROBINSON"! Well cheap seats are no longer cheap... and I am 72 years old... and the other day I was thinking to myself the "WHAT IFS"?
What if the Cubs didn't get into the 1945 World Series, then my dad would of never made me "THAT PROMISE!" What if the Cubs won one more game in 1984... I would of have closure... and the same goes for the following "Close Seasons"... So I asked myself
the what if as Opening Day '09 was approaching, and wondered...
What If my Dad was a "Tiddly Winks" fan?

FOR 25 years, I was a fixture in the bleachers of the "Friendly Confines" of Wrigley Field... and often called the #1 fan of the Cubs. I was known for my life size Voodoo Doll, timely signs, special awards for fans and players, and conversion of fans of other teams into loyal CUBS fans. Today,I have been priced out of the ballpark at the face value of a ticket. I've been the subject of books, documentaries, and national and local print and broadcast media features. I now have a blog.

Dog day afternoon in the old Bleachers (c)J Pritikin-1985














With Harry Caray, as a guest on Harry's 10th Inning Show-1985




















Conversion of a Sox's Fan-1988 (c) J Pritikin






















Don Zimer holding up a Pritikin sign in 1984 (c) J Pritikin
(that sign was featured on the PUNKY BREWSTER TV SHOW!)


















A Great Cub Fan and side-kick Carmella Hartigan-2001 (c) Jerry Pritikin















With life size Padre Voodoo Doll-1984



















Harry Caray and Steve Stone on way to San Diego and Jerry's bumper Sticker...
just one game away from the 1984 World series.