Photography exhibit tells senior citizens’ stories

"Living Legacies" exhibit will show their lives

By: Madeleine Johnson
   The assisted living and adult day-care facility Buckingham Place will unveil an exhibit that couldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of three generations.
   Tonight (Thursday) and Saturday, "Living Legacies," will showcase photographs and personal histories of some of Buckingham Place’s residents. Photographer Sherry Rubel, of Kendall Park, took the portraits while seven of South Brunswick High School’s Viking Volunteers interviewed the senior citizens. The interviews will be placed with the photographs of each resident.
   "We sat with the person who’s being photographed and asked them questions and had them share information with us," Ms. Rubel said. "Then their stories are typed up on index cards for the exhibit so when people are looking at a photograph, they’re not just looking at a portrait. The story gives it more meaning."
   "Living Legacies" is an ongoing project. When she first embarked upon it in 1998, Ms. Rubel photographed 25 residents of the Actors’ Fund Home, in Englewood, while her mother recorded their oral histories.
   "The people who were there were all retired pioneers of the entertainment industry," Ms. Rubel said. "A lot of the people were 101, 103 years old and they had fascinating stories to tell. I did a series of portraits of them and my mother collaborated with me to put together their histories."
   In her search for new "Living Legacies" venues, Ms. Rubel said, she decided to focus on Buckingham Place because she knew that several retired veterans live there. Ultimately, she didn’t talk to many of the veterans, though Ms. Rubel did meet people like Milton Stern, who lived through events that many people only read about in history books.
   "One of the people was a Nazi prisoner of war. He had such remarkable stories," Ms. Rubel said.
   While Ms. Rubel was snapping photographs, the Viking Volunteers were recording the residents’ life stories.
   The Viking Volunteers are students from South Brunswick High School who participate in community service projects.
   According to Jennifer Chapin, Buckingham Place’s activities director, this wasn’t the first time high school students devoted their time to the facility’s senior citizens.
   "The Viking Volunteers have been a presence since six months after we opened in January of 2002," Ms. Chapin said. "They come in and do all sorts of intergenerational activities."
   Ms. Chapin said the students do more than just perform a community service when they spend time with Buckingham Place’s seniors.
   "I think they did more than just interview. They enjoyed the interaction," she said. "Several of the residents grew up in the area, and I think it was really interesting for the students to hear how the area has changed over the years. They were impressed with the older residents and how much they had to show them and teach them."
   Sanje Ponnudurai, 17, and Dhaval Patel, 16, are SBHS seniors and Viking Volunteers who worked together to interview the 83-year-old Mr. Stern. Their reactions to working on "Living Legacies" confirmed Ms. Chapin speculations.
   "I definitely got to meet a lot of people," said Sanje, the Viking Volunteers’ community coordinator. "The person that we talked to, Milton Stern, was in the Air Force. He did a lot of adventurous things I don’t think I would do at his age, like fly to Holland."
   Sanje was surprised that the senior citizens shared so much of their personal histories, and is glad they did.
   "I thought it would be very hard to start a conversation, but they were very eager to talk to us. Milton told us all about his past that he could remember," he said. "I just enjoy the opportunity to talk to the residents and having the experience of listening to what they’ve done. I want to keep in touch with Milton."
   Sanje said he had never visited Buckingham Place before, but it wasn’t the first time for Dhaval.
   "My mom used to work there for a while, so I volunteered last school year," Dhaval, project coordinator for the Viking Volunteers, said. "At first, I’d go just to get some (community service) hours. As time goes on, you get interested in hearing their life stories because they’ve had amazing experiences and it feels good to know their stories are getting passed down."
   Dhaval learned an important lesson by talking to Mr. Stern.
   "From Milton, we learned how precious life is," Dhaval said.
   "Living Legacies" will hold two exhibit dates. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. today, Buckingham Place residents and their guests will be treated to the unveiling ceremony, as well as a harpist and a wine and cheese reception. On Saturday, from 1 to 4 p.m., the public is invited to the see the exhibit, meet the photographer and students, and enjoy a holiday gift and craft bazaar.
   "I was really amazed at how the photographs captured the essence of the individuals," Ms. Rubel said. "These people have such great stories, they led such wonderful lives. They say children and seniors are our most valuable commodities, so I think anyone who comes to the exhibit will enjoy learning about some of our not-too-recognized seniors."