2019 ONPA Pictures of the Year

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lowell Clifford walks out of his barn while talking to his cat, Skinny, as the other barn cat, Fatty, watches from his perch inside the Clifford barn on Oct. 30, 2019, in Cynthiana, Ky. Lowell bought his farm in 1971. Now an 83-year-old widower, he is trying to care for it alone. Despite losing his wife, Mary Sue, Lowell has kept his farm going. He works from early morning to past sunset. "Most old farmers would go somewhere to be taken care of," Lowell says, smiling. "I've got more than I can do."

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Portraits of Lowell's late wife, Mary Sue, sit on the mantel behind him in their home on Nov. 1, 2019, in Cynthiana, Ky. Lowell and Mary Sue were married for 57 years before she passed away from ovarian cancer six years ago.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lowell lifts his cat Skinny early in the morning before going out to run errands on Nov. 1, 2019, in Cynthiana, Ky.
"She loves the attention," Lowell says.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lowell puts his hands into his coverall pockets as he watches rain blanket his farm in Cynthiana, Ky., on the morning of Oct. 30, 2019. After decades of farming, Lowell says it gets harder and harder to keep up with the work.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lowell walks from an overgrown pasture back into his lawn in Cynthiana, Ky., on Oct. 30, 2019. The small hills and uneven ground of Appalachia don’t make for the best of farmland, but the variable weather and usable soil made this area of Kentucky a haven for tobacco farmers. Lowell himself farmed tobacco for a number of years before retiring to just cattle.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lowell works to remove his wet coveralls after tending to his calves during a rainstorm at his home in Cynthiana, Ky., on Oct. 31, 2019. "He had a hay bale fall onto him a few years back," his son Mark says. "It messed up his shoulder real bad."

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Golden light greets Lowell every sunny morning when he enters his barn in Cynthiana, Ky.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Raindrops fall from Lowell's cap after returning from feeding calves in the rain on Oct. 30, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lowell smiles as he chats with Buddy Switzer and his daughter-in-law, Sadie Yarber, at Biancke's Restaurant in Cnythiana, Ky., during breakfast on Nov. 1, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Where Routes 681 and 7 come to a crossroads in Meigs County, Ohio, amid rolling hills and open fields, sits the unincorporated community of Tuppers Plains. Located on the boundary of both Orange and Olive townships, the concept of community for area residents is largely defined by their relationships with each other and the land rather than lines drawn on a map.

As the sun sets over Tuppers Plains, a semi-truck hauls past the Caldwell farm while steam from industrial plants tower in the distance. Route 7 has become a well traveled route for truckers coming and going through southeastern Ohio and West Virginia.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Nevada Johnson, 9, of Tuppers Plains, looks out from behind a firetruck at pictures of firefighters on the adjacent wall inside the Tuppers Plains Volunteer Fire Department on February 2, 2019. Both Johnson's mother and father are volunteer firefighters with TPFD, and Nevada often explores when they spend time in the firehouse together as a family.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Josiah Williams keeps a hand in his pocket as he talks to Kalmbach Feeds representative Levi Richards, of Bowling Green, Ohio, about the quality of their hay and feed. Williams wears a belt buckle that embodies the way of life for many in this part of the country.

"I'm always interested in what other people do. I just don't understand why we all have such a hard time getting along even if we see things differently," said Williams.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Lorelei Sargent, 3, looks out at the baseball field from atop her father, Kyle Sargent's, shoulders during her brother's practice in Tuppers Plains, Ohio, in April 2, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Fans react to cheerleaders throwing souvenirs to the audience during the men's basketball game against Eastern's rival, Southern High School, at Eastern High School just outside of Tuppers Plains, Ohio, on February 15, 2019. Students from Tuppers Plains and other communities in the Eastern District, as well as local families and alumni, create a lively fan base for the basketball teams, one of the most popular sports played in the area.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Rick Johnson, of Tuppers Plains, Ohio, washes his dog Cassidy after catching her rolling around in the muck created by weeks of intermittent heavy rains, on February 24, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Pistols hang beside family pictures at the home of local musician Harry Gorrels in Tuppers Plains, Ohio, on March 15, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Randy Friar, of Pomeroy, Ohio, works on his wife's vehicle at his step brother's, John Rankin, garage in Tuppers Plains, Ohio. Rankin often offers his garage up as a workspace for family and friends in the community.

"It's the type of community you want to live in. You know almost everyone and we all help each other out when you can," said Rankin.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Kimi Francis, of Tuppers Plains, Ohio, tickles the feet of her six-week-old daughter, Charlotte, on a quiet Saturday afternoon at home on April 6, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Marshall Caldwell, left, 6, and Olivia Francis, 7, both of Tuppers Plains, Ohio, prepare for the Sunday morning service at St. Paul United Methodist Church on Route 7 in Tuppers Plains, Ohio, on February 16, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

John Rice, of Tuppers Plains, Ohio, prepares to dress in his insulated coveralls inside his home on Rice Run Road in Tuppers Plains, Ohio, on February 18, 2019. Rice, now the only person residing on the farm, lives in his childhood home surrounded by pictures of family that adorn his walls.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Don Withers touches the engraved name of his late wife, Mary, on their gravestone after cleaning the monument and planting flower bulbs beside her that will bloom come spring. Oct. 29, 2019. Cynthiana, Ky.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Scott Leddin, of Pembroke, Mass., hoists a container of freshly caught lobster from his boat onto the Green Harbor town pier in Marshfield, Mass, on Oct. 14, 2019. Green Harbor continually ranks among the top 5 ports for amount of lobster landed in the state. In comparison the port is much smaller than other ports, such as Gloucester and New Bedford.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

A teenage couple eat french fries together while an elderly gentlemen watches a tractor pull as the sun sets over the Sweet Corn Festival in Millersport, Ohio, on Aug. 31, 2019.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Boston University fan legend, Sasquatch, raises the Terrier flag during the men’s hockey game against Northern Michigan after seeing BU give up their 4-1 third period lead on Oct. 28, 2019. Sasquatch, also known as Brian Zivea, is a BU alum who has been attending games for over 20 years. Known as Sasquatch for his signifiant amount of body hair, Zivea often makes an appearance to the tune of Black Sabbath’s “Ironman” when the Terriers are are in need of enthusiasm in Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass. The game would go on to result in a tie.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

A Southborough firefighter prepares to climb to the top of a ladder truck during an 8-alarm fire at a shopping center in downtown Natick, Mass., on July 22, 2019. It took fire crews from two counties nearly 12 hours to get the blaze under control. No one was seriously hurt during the fire but more than six businesses were lost.

First Place, Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year - Gaelen Morse / Ohio University

Heavyweight boxer Junior Fa walks away from his opponent Newfel Ouatah after knocking him down in the first round during of the Arnold Sports Festival Pro Boxing main event in Columbus, Ohio, on March 2, 2019. Fa would go on to win by TKO in the first round.