Richard Wisdom, longtime Mercury News photographer, dies at 81
From the days of the Speed Graphic through the digital revolution, ‘The Wiz’ shot it all
Richard Wisdom, an award-winning Mercury News photographer for nearly three decades, died April 1 in Rio Vista. He was 81.
He died from congestive heart failure with his family by his side, according to his wife, Kay Wisdom.
Over a 42-year stint as a news photographer in the Bay Area, “The Wiz,” as he was known, distinguished himself for his news instincts and his humanity, capturing subjects as varied as a tragically collapsed Oakland freeway after the 1989 earthquake and a hilariously business-suited runner in San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers.
William Richard Wisdom was born on May 24, 1938, in Tucson, Arizona.
His career as a press photographer began at Tucson High School’s Cactus Chronicle. With the bulky 4×5 Speed Graphic cameras common to the day, Wisdom was able to capture images of visiting dignitaries such as President Dwight Eisenhower and former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt on their annual trips to the desert.
He then landed his first professional jobs at the Tucson Daily Star and the Phoenix Gazette.
In 1973, Wisdom joined the San Jose Mercury News.
Readers of this paper may remember his 1976 photograph of a lonely, driver-less Chevy Impala perched precariously 110 feet above the ground on a segment of the infamously incomplete Highways 101280-680 interchange construction project.
The vehicle had been placed there by frustrated local officials trying to force Gov. Jerry Brown to complete the stalled project. It worked.
When the Loma Prieta earthquake shook the Bay Area in 1989, Wisdom’s photographs of the deadly Cypress structure collapse in Oakland contributed to the paper’s Pulitzer Prize for General Reporting in 1990.
Geri Migielicz, one of his longtime photo editors at the paper and now a visiting journalism professor at Stanford University, remembered Wisdom for his big “ear-to-ear grin.”
“In an industry known for cynicism,” she said, “where photojournalists did their share of grumbling, Wiz greeted every day, every assignment with enthusiasm.”
And he freely shared his passion for photography with others.
Wisdom was a fixture at National Press Photographers Association workshops for decades, at times traveling across the country to inspire young photojournalism students.
Wisdom’s camera captured plenty of tragedy, too. He was sent to Stockton in 1989 after hearing reports about a deadly schoolyard shooting (not so common at the time).
The tragedy claimed the lives of five children and wounded 32 others. His photograph of a police officer talking to a young student made the cover of News Photographer Magazine.
Nine years earlier, he had flown to Washington state to document the apocalyptic landscape around the 1980 Mount St. Helens volcano eruption. His photographs captured a forest of splintered trees flattened among destroyed vehicles.
Though he never blinked when covering the worst that news had to offer, it was his love for the brighter side of humanity that defined his photography.
Readers may recall his image of a runner in a business suit competing in San Francisco’s annual Bay to Breakers.
Or his rainy day feature photo of a man wearing a bag at a payphone. (You remember payphones, right?)
There’s an old saw in news photography that says if your pictures aren’t good enough, maybe you’re not close enough.
Richard Wisdom was always close enough. Sometimes
too close.
Once at the AT&T golf tournament, Wisdom was hit square in the top of the head by a Jack Nicklaus drive. The impact left an impressive welt, one that — as legend has it — fellow golfer and comedian Bill Murray tried to kiss to make it better.
Sandra Eisert, a former Mercury News design editor who also contributed to the 1990 Pultizer, remembers choosing Wisdom for a particularly sensitive funeral assignment.
“Because of his heart, because of his full humanity,” she said, “I knew he could understand that real-life loss better, to understand grief and its swirl of emotion, and connect us to that loss.”
Wiz came back with the front-page photo.
After Wisdom retired from the Mercury News in 2001, he couldn’t let go of the camera. He began shooting for the Brentwood Press near his home in Discovery Bay. His countless hours volunteering with charities in eastern Contra Costa County earned him a Community Service Award in 2015.
A couple of years ago, Wiz was given a ride down Main Street in Brentwood’s big Holiday Parade to honor him for his humanitarian work. Waving from the front seat of a convertible with his wife, Kay, behind him, he wore another of his trademark hats, perhaps to hide the remaining scar of that brush with Jack Nicklaus. Richard Wisdom was honored one last time, beaming his famous ear-toear Wiz grin.
A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date after the shelter-in-place order is lifted.
Player of the year
Marsalis Roberson,
Bishop O’dowd-oakland, 6-foot-5, junior
O’dowd uses a metric called stat points to measure a player’s productivity, which was started decades ago by the program’s former coach, Mike Phelps, and continues to be employed by current coach Lou Richie. It takes into account made shots, missed shots, rebounds, charges, assists and turnovers. Roberson was the team’s stat-point leader this season at 29.14 per game. He also led the Dragons in conventional metrics — points (16.45) and rebounds (6.34) — while helping the powerhouse close the season with 18 consecutive wins and advance to the California Interscholastic Federation Norcal Open final, which was never played because of the coronavirus pandemic. He was named the player of the year in the West Alameda County Conference’s Foothill League.
First team
Robby Beasley, Dougherty Valley-san Ramon, 6-2, senior
Monty Bowser, Bishop O’dowd, 6-5, senior
The WACC Foothill League first-team forward was a key contributor as O’dowd reached the CIF Norcal Open Division final. The Cal-bound Bowser averaged 12.3points, 5.7rebounds and 2.3assists per game and played his best basketball down the stretch — he averaged 14.3points and 6.5rebounds per game in the postseason. His postseason rebounding average was tied for the team-high. Bowser was a three-star recruit as rated by 247sports. com.
Je’lani Clark, Archbishop
Riordan, 6-3, senior
The West Catholic Athletic League co-player of the year, Clark helped lead Riordan to a share of the league championship. The Nevada signee averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0assists and 1.7 steals per game. He had 36 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 92-69win over Sacred Heart Cathedral that clinched a piece of the league crown. Clark had plenty of big performances in WCAL play, including 20points in a 62-51 win over Mitty for Riordan’s first victory at the San Jose school since 2002.
Jalen Lewis, Bishop O’dowd, 6-9, freshman
The first-team ALL-WACC Foothill League selection was at his best in the biggest games. In the North Coast Section Open Division final against Dublin, a 75-72 O’dowd triumph, the 14-year-old had 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. In a CIF Norcal Open semifinal victory at Archbishop Mitty, he finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. On Martin Luther King Jr. day against Campolindomoraga, he had 15 points and eight rebounds and hit the winning jump shot from 16 feet out in the closing seconds. The budding superstar averaged 9.8points and 6.3 rebounds for the season but raised his scoring numbers to 15.5 points per game in the playoffs.
Aidan Mahaney, Campolindo-moraga, 6-3, sophomore
Michael Mitchell, Archbishop Mitty, 6-3, junior
The Pepperdine commit and co-player of the year in the WCAL was the engine that powered the top team in the Central Coast Section. Mitchell averaged 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4
Anthony Roy, Dublin, 6-4, senior
Second team
Justin Anderson, Menloatherton, 6-0, senior Emmanuel Callas, Campolindo, 6-5, junior
Miles Daniels, De La Salleconcord, 6-1, junior
Quinn Denker, Bellarmine, 6-3, senior
The first-team ALL-WCAL guard averaged 16.6points, 6.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6steals for a Bellarmine team that went 23-5 and reached the CIF Norcal Open Division playoffs. The Bells finished in a threeway tie for first in the tough
Bryce Monroe, Archbishop Riordan, 5-11, senior
A first-team ALL-WCAL selection, Monroe averaged 20.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2assists per game. The Sam Houston Statebound guard had a 32-point effort in a 76-62victory over Vanden-fairfield in the CIF Norcal Division I quarterfinals, which turned out to be the Crusaders’ final game. The team’s season ended March 9 due to a Riordan student testing positive for coronavirus. Monroe had a number of high-scoring games, including 24 points in a 62-51victory at Mitty. Te’jon Sawyer, Salesianrichmond, 6-8, senior
Ciri Sawyers, San Leandro, 6-3, senior
Third team
Jaden Alexander, St. Patrick-st. Vincent-vallejo, 6-4, junior
Luke Barrett, Piedmont, 6-5, senior
Ian Elam, Bellarmine, 6-6, senior
The co-captain could be considered the glue guy for the Bells, who for the fifth year in a row advanced to the CCS Open Division championship game. Whether he took a charge, blocked a shot, pushed the pace with an outlet pass, crashed the boards, sank a 3-pointer or stuffed the basket, Elam did it all while averaging 12 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6assists per game. He was recognized with the CCS sportsmanship award after leading the Bells with 15 points in the Open Division final.
Marcus Greene, Archbishop Mitty, 6-3, senior