San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Obituary: Jerry Telfer, 40-year Chronicle photographer
Jerry Telfer, a San Francisco Chronicle photographer for 40 years, died Friday at a hospice in El Sobrante. He was 75 and lived in Richmond. The cause of his death was liver failure, said his son, Adam.
Telfer covered the full range of newspaper photo assignments during his long career — from the usual breaking news of fires, floods and accidents to feature photography, including portraits of musician Miles Davis and playwright Sam Shepard.
He also photographed countless Bay Area scenes, including a notable shot of the Transamerica Pyramid at night only two years after it opened and a portrait of the famous Christmas tree that was put up every year in the rotunda of the old City of Paris department store.
One of his favorite pictures was of Dianne Feinstein, then president of the Board of Supervisors, at Pier 39 on the day it opened in 1978.
Feinstein made a bet with the developer that the noted tourist pier would never be finished on the announced schedule. In the unlikely event the project made it on time, she pledged to show up on opening day in a bathing suit. The developer won, and Feinstein appeared in a wool outfit from the old Sutro Baths. Telfer was on hand to record the moment.
“Photography meant the world to him,” Adam Telfer said of his father. “He always wanted to record events so that other people could experience them as they happened.”
His father never posed a shot or re-created an event. “He always wanted to get to the truth of things,” his son said.
Telfer was not afraid of danger. During a riot in 1969 at People’s Park in Berkeley, a cherry bomb loaded with tacks went off at his feet. He was injured, shook it off and went on with the assignment.
Telfer had a way of gaining the confidence of subjects who were wary of being photographed for a newspaper. Veteran Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan remembered how, when he and Telfer were having trouble getting an interview with some very elderly women, Telfer sat down on a rug in front of them, and asked them to tell him stories of their lives.
“After a few minutes, they just melted for him, and he made the whole story so much easier to do,” Fagan said. “You could always tell Jerry had a big heart. He was a terrific photographer, too. Great combination.”
Telfer was born in Gary, Ind., moved to Arizona as a child, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in journalism.
He worked at the Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix for a while and joined The Chronicle in 1966.
He also had a longstanding interest in community theater, particularly the Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond. He photographed more than 100 productions there and occasionally appeared on stage as well, mostly in supporting roles. One critic noted his “foggy growl of a voice.”
Telfer is survived by two sons, Adam of Oklahoma City and Jonathan of Las Vegas; a daughter, Jennifer Gupton of Fairfield; three sisters; and two grandchildren.
A memorial service is pending.
“Photography meant the world to him . ... He always wanted to get to the truth of things.”
Adam Telfer, son