I found "The Firefighter"!

I am really thrilled to say I found the firefighter whose portrait I did after 9/11.

The photograph sent to me by the Chicago Tribune had his name wrong, so for several years I was looking for Brian Buck. Couldn't find him anywhere...

Last September I was at my computer and this little voice (I don't listen to nearly enough) said "look again". So I dug up the photo, saw he was with Ladder 28 in Harlem and sent them an email. A week later I got an email from Brian Burik asking me if I was looking for him; that he'd received a message from his old firehouse that they thought I meant him.

It was too much to hope for - I introduced myself and explained I'd done a portrait of a firefighter with a flag and sent him a small jpeg. It was HIM! He told me the story of the photo, how they'd found 3 flags and he was taking one out to look at it when the photographer came up to him.

He seemed very pleased about the picture and I promised him a giclee print of it. It took a while to find a large enough mailing tube but, I finally sent it out to him after Christmas 2009. The other day he called me and we had a really great conversation. He loves the print and said HE was honored..well, folks, I sit at a drawing table and don't really get into much trouble during a normal day. They run towards danger every single day - I am the one who is honored.

I hope to connect in person some time in the future when I am next in NYC. Will post it if I do!