A friendship story for the ages
Tiffany (left) and Bob (right) ran into one another on the street outside of their photo exhibit. They nearly missed one another that night, but then went back in to enjoy the exhibit together. This photograph was taken then.
[LinkAGES is a client of Aging Dynamics.]
Tiffany was on scholarship at the University of Denver, finishing her senior year in her late 30s, when she signed up for a photography class. She had recently begun taking more photos and wanted to sharpen her skills by learning new techniques. When she sat down on her first day of class, she couldn’t remember reading in the course description that she and her college peers would be learning alongside older adults (50-years-old and older). She wondered if this would make the class boring, sitting with not much to say to someone decades older than she.
Bob’s friends convinced him to participate in a photography class. He had recently retired from a storied career that had taken him all over the country. Early on in his military service in St. Louis, he picked up his first camera. He began taking photographs of everyone, which eventually included Popes and presidents. In his 40s, he began going blind– a struggle that changed the trajectory of his life. Thirty years later, with more time on his hands, he was once again pursuing photography. A social person who had always worked in intergenerational settings, he looked forward to engaging with his peers and college students. See Bob’s photography on his website Weinberg Photographics.
Bob and Tiffany formed a fast and lasting friendship. Over more than two years, they have become confidantes– celebrating one another’s joys, navigating a global pandemic, and grieving the loss of loved ones. On the night that their class’s Photography & Memory exhibit went up in the Denver Art Museum, they nearly missed one another. But as Bob was about to get on his bus, Tiffany ran across the street to greet him, having just driven all the way from Tulsa. They re-entered the exhibit together, and their obvious connection and joy at being together inspired us to capture their story.
Below is the LinkAGES story of Bob & Tiffany. You can also view it on our youtube channel.
Photography & Storytelling is an intergenerational program that brings older adults (50-years-old and older) and University of Denver seniors together. They learn the art of photography in the context of a specific theme, such as self or memory. It is facilitated in partnership with the University of Denver and Denver Public Library, and funded by LinkAGES Colorado.
Program designed and facilitated by:
Roddy MacInnes, Professor, University of Denver
Anne Walker, Doctoral Student and Instructor, University of Denver
Amy Delpo, Administrator of Older Adult Services, Denver Public Library
Exhibit Host: Denver Art Museum
Video Produced by: Farsighted Creative in collaboration with Aging Dynamics
