Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Greetings all, I've been on the list a while now and thought that I should tell the story of my Leica. A good friend, Rudy Kirmshe, was a real Leica afficianado. He had used them pre war as a kid and later added the M3 not all that long after he emigrated to Canada. Over the years he collected and used the Leicas as well as Contax, Hasselblad, Minox etc etc. I met Rudy not long after moving to town about 12 years ago. The acquaintance grew into a friendship. I respected his work and he respected mine (although not shot with Leica). Rudy endured more hardships in his lifetime than anyone should have yet he always seemed to maintain his grace and sense of humor. In the spring of 2003 Rudy was rushed into the emergencey ward and ultimately terminal lung cancer was diagnosed - he was 73. Determined not to let it get him down he managed to make the most of every day. While he wasn't doing much picture taking he did accompany me on several assignments here on Vancouver Island. As the cancer spread I had to rush Rudy to hospital on several occasions. His wife had died of cancer 7 years earlier and it hadn't been pretty so he opted not to take either radiation or chemo (the doctor thought they might buy him a few months at best). In January Rudy stunned me when he announced that since I couldn't afford to go out and buy a Leica he was giving me his M6 and seven lenses --- the condition being that I had to actually use the gear not just collect it. He commented that he didn't have any family and that he liked my work so I had to take the equipment. I agreed and started shooting almost right away. At the end of February I rushed Rudy into the emergency ward again. This time, however, it was decided that he would enter the palliative unit. I know that this was a relief to Rudy as he lived in the country by himself and he did not like imposing on his friends (his words not mine nor his other friends). Since I spent virtually every day with him over the next 5 weeks he asked me to shoot his "adventures" and those of some of the other folks in the unit. I have posted some of those shots at a new gallery at : http://gallery.leica-users.org/Rudy Rudy quietly passed away on April 6, 2004. The world lost a very fine human being on that day. It has taken some time to be able to scan and edit the shots. Comments always welcome. Barry H