A Tribute to Sherry Simpson

One of my most favorite photos I have taken is of Sherry Simpson disappearing into the fog while walking along the wild outside coast of Glacier Bay National Park in 1999. I had decided to publish a book on Glacier Bay. The first order of business was to hire a writer, and I immediately thought of Sherry. I had worked with her when she was the staff writer for the Juneau Empire. She was the only writer that had ever brought me to tears with a newspaper story. I wanted the person whose words were that powerful to write this book. Sherry agreed and spent her summer immersed in Glacier Bay National Park. This immersion included spending seven days walking the outside coast with Hank Lentfer, Richard Steele, and myself. Her writing was perfect, and her insightful words complimented my imagery. Her discussion of humanity’s relationship with the nature of wilderness was powerful and set the tone for the book. Countless times people told me that they loved the book but had not really planned on reading it because it was a “photo book.”  But then they would add that once they started reading the book, they could not put it down. Thank you, Sherry, for sharing your gifts with the world. Sherry passed away yesterday, Wednesday October 21, 2020, and has brought me to tears again.