BOGALUSA - Lots of people have been commenting on how good The Daily News offices look these days as a major remodeling effort continues. And while the comfort level and aesthetic presentation are on the rise, there is one drawback. All the stuff that has been stashed away in drawers and closets, some of it for decades, is again seeing the light of day. While most of it can be incorporated into the new plan or consigned to the trash heap, there are items that don't readily fit either category.
They are old pictures, most from the past decade, but some certainly go back much further. The fading photographs were probably dropped off for some long-ago story and forgotten. The current DN staff finds it hard to throw such potential treasures in the trash.
 DAILY NEWS archives A local group enjoys a Christmas dinner long ago in this photo once used by The Daily News. Advertisement |
There are three boxes full of memories.
A stack within one appears to be rehearsal and "head" shots from the now-defunct Mill Town Players, a Bogalusa acting troupe started in 1956. Judging from the clothing and other clues, the black and white pictures were probably taken in the late 1950s to the early 1960s.
One young man boasts an early Elvis hair style. An older fellow, holding a smoking cigarette, might be going for a Humphrey Bogart or Edward R. Murrow look.
A child sports a bow tie and what looks like a tweed jacket. And a woman wears a beaded sweater and apparently very red lipstick.
There is no record included of what plays might have featured the people pictured. But some of the head shots are stamped "Aylene's Studio and Camera Shop" or credited to White's Art Studio.
Another particularly old photograph found deep in a different box was apparently used for the obituary of one of those pictured. On the back, in Breland's handwriting is penciled, "Mrs. Taylor, 1x3, obit Thursday." Four people are shown seated at what was probably a community Christmas meal circa 1965. The people are wearing corsages, and tiny "snow-covered" trees adorn the table.
The picture must have been taken after the meal and before desert. Only scraps remain on the dinner plates, but a stack of brownies and full cups of coffee await consumption.
A moment in time was captured and then lost. But it can be reclaimed, as can many others.
Because there are so many pictures and since they are in no particular order, a search for any one photograph could take some time and determination. But the Daily News invites anyone who would like to tackle the task to call for an appointment. Individual pictures will be given to the first person who makes a claim.
The photographs featured with this story will be available, while they last, at the front desk in the newspaper office, 525 Avenue V in Bogalusa.
To make an appointment to look through the pictures, call Marcelle Hanemann or Jacob Brooks at 732-2565.
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