3 former Virginian-Pilot photojournalists died in 2024; their work captured history, life in Hampton Roads.

The Pilot photo family lost three former photojournalists last year, most recently David Hollingsworth, who died on Dec. 30. It was David who, 31 years ago, gave me one of my first opportunities to shoot an assignment.   

The men were very different — a sailor, a gearhead and a beach bum. But they all had a passion for photography.

The sailor, Jimmy Walker, was the most cantankerous happy man you could meet. Picture Fish, Abe Vigoda’s character in the 1970s comedy “Barney Miller.” Jimmy set the bar high for me as an optimistic pessimist. He was the oldest on the staff then and he was the one we all went to with our technical questions about a camera or a printing process. Jimmy was not only the one who read the manual back to front, he was also the one who understood it. He had a wonderful eye for nature photography and was quick to turn a phrase, often breaking out a few notes of “Younger Than Springtime” as he developed his film. He captured history-making events, such as Portsmouth high school students in 1960 joining a national sit-in movement to protest segregated store lunch counters.

The gearhead, John Sheally II, would have made a great neighbor in a sitcom. John knew a little about everything and was constantly working on some project. Cars, snipers, sunken treasure, you name it, he was talking about it or producing a book on it. He was well-known in the Morgan Motor world. You never knew what John would drive to the office — he owned several vintage vehicles — but you always knew when he was there as his voice carried when he talked about history or wanting to find out what made interesting people tick.

David, the beach bum, was right out of a Jimmy Buffett lyric; he and his wife, Linda, were huge Buffett fans. He worked in the office of the Virginia Beach Beacon for many years before taking over as the assignment editor in the main Norfolk office. David was one of the guys who knew everyone. Whenever I was out on assignment at the Beach, locals would tell me to say hello to him. He enjoyed his time with his family and friends at his backyard tiki bar, ballpark, golf course or the beach. Colleagues have mentioned over the past week how much they remember David’s kindness. He was someone who would look out for you.

As photographers, we spent many nights and weekends at the office, on the road and in airports, covering storms, big news or sporting events. Jimmy, John and David were a big part of what makes The Pilot photo family so special. Our personalities fit because the common thread is about telling a story through photos. As in many professions, our members have spread out across the country and the world, but The Pilot made us a family, where we were supported in the desire to do our best work. The Pilot photo legacy lives on because of these photojournalists, who each left a large body of recorded history behind — but their kindness, knowledge, humor and friendship will be what is missed the most.

 

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