Ran first in the Sunday editions of The Times and The News-Star, December 22, 2019. Proud to report that Donny is home! 

Tonight while I write this, my longtime friend and co-worker Donny Crowe, in his 50s and recently retired, is sleeping i a Shreveport hospital’s intensive care unit, recovering from the third brain surgery of his life.

The good news is that he’d have slept in a regular room had the hospital not been so crowded, and on only his second night since surgery. More good news is that while they won’t know for a week, it appears this tumor is like the two before it, troublesome for sure but non-cancerous.

Tuesday’s surgery came less than two weeks after Donny’s retirement party in the cozy Ropp Center on the campus of Louisiana Tech, where Donny has been the University Photographer since shortly after he graduated in 1987. He came to Ruston after high school in Baton Rouge and never left.

In his suit and tie — I joked he looked almost lifelike —  Donny was understandably a little nervous and semi-aggravated about facing this “once-in-a-lifetime event — for the third time.” He was going to work through February but has turned out the lights in the dark room a little early because of this medical condition, one that is hopefully now solved.

Maybe this long-ago event will play a role: when Donny was making trips to Italy in the early days of Tech Rome in the ’80’s, he was blessed by the Pope, an entirely unrehearsed, luck-of-the-draw event. (Donny’s got the picture to prove it and no, it’s not a selfie.) Should have known then that the guy would have a legendary career.

At almost every big moment in the University’s history over the past 35-plus years, Donny was there. Because he was there, any of us can go back there any time we wish…

To national championship basketball games, baseball regionals, football bowls, conference championships…

To inductions of Hall of Famers and Tower Medallion recipients, receptions for professors emeriti, and installations of presidents…

To building dedications, convocations, graduations… For this, from everyone to Donny, congratulations. His camera and eye were at them all.

Our time at Tech as students overlapped and we saw each other at ballgames from time to time, but for the past 11 years I’ve worked almost daily with Donny at Tech. If you have ever been in a job working with photographers, you know that the tast requires last-minute shoots, unplanned shoots, people showing up late for scheduled sessions, and often a one-chance-to-get-it challenge.

Watching Donny work has been watching grace under pressure; sure, because of the job’s demands, it’s often been a frustrated, harried, Lord-help-me-now! grace, but grace nonetheless. And never, ever did I see him mistreat anyone; the only times he snapped were with his photographic trigger finger.

Here’s what some of his friends said that day of his party, when he started crying and then of course that made me cry and I wanted one of those candy bars they advertise for “when you just want to get away.” But that moment passed and I was sort of happy to get misty eyed just watching all these people who’d come to this Christmas-decorated room to honor a friend.

“As great of a photographer as he is, he’s an even better person.” 

“… dependable, fun to be around…”

“… a true MVP for the athletic department.”

“Dedicated pro who always has a big smile, positive attitude, good sense of humor and a willingness to help and support others.”

“He’s mentored many aspiring young photographers; Donny gives freely of himself so others may shine.”

Tech has a tradition of putting senior rings inside Centennial Tower the night before commencement. The rings “sleep” there, then the next day, members of Tech’s ROTC remove the box of rings, march them down Alumni Walkway and into University Hall where they are presented to the graduates.

Donny’s friends got him a 1987 ring, and the University followed that same tradition for Donny’s one ring, a ring he’d always wanted. Not sure I’ve ever seen him happier. He said he was never taking it off.

Tuesday, the nurses made him remove it for his operation. Now he’s wearing it again.

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