It is with much sadness I share the news of the passing of ONPA Life Member Paul R. Schell who died Monday evening at the age of 86. Schell retired from The (Youngstown) Vindicator in 1985 after working there for 29 years.

With the passing of time there are probably many ONPA members who have no knowledge of who this gentleman is, but enjoy the fruits of his labor every day. Over the years Schell served ONPA as vice president, president and chairman of the board when that position was created and is a Robert S. Carson Award recipient for his many contributions to photojournalism.

Paul was the last of the “old guard” Vindicator photographers and set the bar quite high for those who followed. I know this first hand as I was the one hired to fill the open position when Paul retired.

Those who worked with him in Youngstown said he had no equal when it came to darkroom skills. His prints were meticulous. If you pulled something from the archive you could tell if it was a Schell print before turning it over. In an ONPA newsletter column he took other members to task for not putting forth their best effort in the darkroom when entering the year-end contest. He truly practiced what he preached.

While we shared a similar work history, we didn’t share wardrobes. I don’t think I ever saw Paul on the job without a coat and tie and that includes freelance work after he retired from the paper. Even in the hospitality suite at an ONPA convention Paul was in uniform.

Perhaps that came from being a Marine. Paul served in Word War II with the U.S. Marine Corp. as an aerial photographer with the No. 423 Squadron in the South Pacific. Paul was active in several veteran organizations and would hand deliver their news to the newspaper after he retired.

Paul worked in Youngstown at a time that it was very unsafe for people in some circles to start their cars and was there to chronicle the end of the steel industry in the Mahoning Valley. It was a loss that the area never recovered from.

Shortly after starting in Youngstown I had, (how should I put this? – a slight disagreement with news editor Will Kennedy over the cropping of a photo). I didn’t get more than a sentence or two out when Kennedy said, “Oh no, not another Schell.” Over the years I always wore that as a personal badge of honor.

Paul left the paper in 1985 but he never retired. He worked for the Youngstown Business Journal, Youngstown Playhouse, and the Diocese of Youngstown and was always seen with a camera at any gathering of local veterans.

He was always quite happy with his timing of leaving the daily grind of the newspaper and had no regrets. Our paths would cross on assignment and Paul was always amazed at the technology changes in the business, but would tell you he was still quite happy in the darkroom.

ONPA was a growing organization during Paul’s time in office. His newsletter columns would frequently boast the fact the Ohio was the largest NPPA chapter and he would provide the numbers to back up his claims. There weren’t many columns that didn’t also remind members to sign up that fellow shooting beside you and that you should be giving back to your profession in some way.

ONPA wasn’t always ONPA. The organization began as the Ohio Press Photographer’s Association and it was during Paul’s tenure in office that the organization took on a new name which was quite a controversy at the time.

Paul was a staple at ONPA conventions even after he retired, many of those with his wife of 50 years Evelyn by his side. He wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines either. As ONPA marked its 50th anniversary in 2001 at Lake Atwood Paul was one of the first people to arrive and see if we needed any help in setting up.

I’ve come to this point and I’ve never said that Paul Schell was an award-winning photographer. I was going to leave that to the writers at The Vindicator, but Paul’s passing was marked by only a paid obituary in the paper. It truly is a shame, but not unexpected as it is a newspaper that always looked upon employees as liabilities not assets.

There are many in our profession who are award-winning photographers, but Paul Schell was so much more than that. I could never be a Paul Schell, but I’m proud to have walked in his footsteps.

Happy hunting old buddy.

Rest in Peace

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