Bostonians of a certain age will remember when award-winning photojournalist Bill Brett covered not only the area’s most prominent news events, but literally hundreds of the region’s top social happenings. His career began when he was 18 at the Boston Globe as a part-time photographer. He was full-time at age 19, and later became the paper’s chief photographer at age 27. He retired from the Globe in 2001, but never stopped taking photos. “Boston Veterans Appreciation” is his eighth book, and it’s 270 pages of tribute after tribute to the brave men and women who served this country, each portrait more stunning than the next. The interview below is slightly edited for clarity.
Henry Santoro: Bill Brett, welcome to Henry in the Hub. Welcome back to GBH, and it’s great to finally meet you.
Bill Brett: Thank you very much for inviting me. I am happy to be here.
Santoro: I read that this book began as a project, but it quickly turned into a passion. Tell us how it was born.
Brett: I was having lunch with a group of my friends at a restaurant in Hingham. I was with Paul Wahlberg, and Mark and Donnie — they’re neighbors of mine in Dorchester. So, we’re kind of — we come from the same cloth. They’ve all done well. And we’re sitting having lunch with two other friends of mine and Wahlberg said to me, he said, “Bill, did you ever consider doing something on veterans?” And I said, “Not really.” I said, “I just never really thought about it.” He said, “Well, you should probably look into that because I think that they should be recognized.” Next day I started. Louie Pasquale was my first subject who’s in this book. He ran the Bowling Alley on Morrissey Boulevard for 50 years and he was decorated in World War II. That’s how it started. One led to another, and another, and it just spread like wildfire. But it took me a while to do it because a lot of them didn’t want to participate. After I photographed several of them, they backed out for different reasons. I understood that as I really got deep into the book. And as I said, one led to another, and before I knew it, I had to pull the plug at some point. It was a three-year process. The last two of my books took two years to write. But this was longer because it was a little bit more in-depth to find some of the people. And it’s only a sample. It’s a sample of just good men and women. I approached General Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a terrific guy, grew up in Quincy, and he ended up in Marshfield. And I said to him, I said, “General, if you’d be kind enough to do this foreword for me, this would be great, and I think it would be helpful to your career.” He laughed and said to me, “Bill, my career is made.” I said, “Well, not my career.”
Santoro: Well, your books aren’t — your average run-of-the-mill picture books. Your books command attention. Each photograph demands to be studied, really looked at. What’s the trick behind that?
Brett: Well, the most important thing I tell photographers is to study their subjects and really get to know them. Once you do, taking pictures becomes easier. Some people may be a little guarded at first, but once you connect with them, they open up. That’s been my secret: they get to know me, and I get to know them.
Santoro: Do you consider this your contribution to America’s 250th?
Brett: I do. I do. And I’m honored that I was able to do this.
Santoro: Bill Brett’s latest book deserves a spot on your coffee table. It is “Boston Veterans Appreciation.” Bill, thank you so much for this conversation. And thank you so much for your great contribution to our region and our country with this book.
Brett: Thank you. It’s a pleasure chatting with you.
