From the Heart

Brian Lanker saw more than most of us do. He saw opportunities in the moment, and he grabbed a camera, the tool that was as quick and reflective as his brain, writes sports columnist and editor Blaine Newnham.

Newnham recommended Lanker s hire as picture director at the "Eugene Register-Guard" in 1974, just one year after Lanker had won the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography at age 24, for his photographs in the "Topeka Capital-Journal" of a couple bringing forth their second baby during natural childbirth. I want to show people things they can t see, normally, Lanker said.

That quote from Brian Lanker, along with many others, can be found among the captions in these pages, all of which were researched and written by Mike Tharp, a war correspondent and award-winning journalist, with whom Lanker teamed up at the "Topeka Capital-Journal "and became lifelong friends.

"From the Heart" combines Tharp s captions with a striking selection of Lanker s photographs and a collection of essays written by Lanker s colleagues and friends, who for the most part were one and the same. These essays thoughtful, poignant, funny, and respectful tell the story of Lanker s bolting career start at the "Topeka Capital-Journal, " his ceaseless creativity, his driving work ethic, and his giving heart.

In her prologue, writer and poet Maya Angelou writes, There was a generosity about Lanker, which allowed him to give himself to everyone as he was needed. Brian Lanker was a photojournalist with the eye of an artist. Some of his photographs are timeless, and others are wholly of their time. "From the Heart" is a tribute to his singular vision, and a moving portrait of both man and artist."