Index
Kobbe Kid Album
Albrook AFB, CZ, 1959--I was a 14 year old Army Brat and had just stepped off a Super Constellation airplane from Charleston, South Carolina. Immediately, I felt hot and sticky; a feeling that was to last for the next 3 years.
In a few minutes our sponsor had us on our way to Fort Kobbe. We went over the canal, by the lake, and onto the grassy, forested plains. The tropical smells were heavenly and the vegetation beautiful. I loved the place already! My feelings would find an outlet in photography.
Like the other new teens, I wanted to get settled, make friends, and was anxious about beginning high school. I was very excited the day our household items arrived containing my rudimentary darkroom equipment. My "maid's quarters" bathroom was converted into a great little darkroom and the results are on these pages.
Production History
This album had originally been published over three years in three volumes.
In 2003 a fourth volume was completed; it and all previous volumes were then
combined into one.
2000
The first volume was scanned from
original paper prints. These paper prints had survived several relationships; a
marriage and family; and being lost, tossed or given away. Most of my
printing was done just once, if even that much. Almost all original prints were
done in my Humble darkroom, and my finances were pretty nickel-dime. So not many
extra prints, if you got or bought one that was it!
2001
It was touching and emotionally
charged to share these images. Letters sent to me after the first album ALL had
beautiful emotion and sharing of awakened memories. So it was ordained
worthwhile to find the negatives and try Volume II. All the scans in
"Two" were made directly from the original negatives. This
allowed a very full range of tones compared to my old, faded, and often
"experimental" prints . The negatives had sat in their box with
no interest and no care until Fred and Sandy awakened the Kobbe Kids!
I had not seen most of these pictures for over 40 years; it was very exciting to hold an old tarnished, moldy negative up to the light and see something I had long forgotten. Mold? Hm-m-m, it really was humid down there! And that old, antique looking, silver sheen I used to see on my parents negatives was also growing on mine!
The scanner was loaded over and over and I thrilled as each picture came "back to life!" I scanned the black and white negatives using my favorite color negative settings which often produced a natural warm look. I liked that look and matched its hue to all the subsequent images.
2002
After Volume II, I thought I had all
the Panama pictures located. It was not true. An old friend needed some
pictures from college years and I had to find the negatives. I starting
finding rolls of negatives from Kobbe and Panama mixed in with the later film!
All in aggravatingly tight little rolls, but this was no problem to scan!
I was interested again and Volume Three was created.
2003
Many Zonian Brats, Panamanian Brats,
and Panamanian people had been writing their feelings and interests about the
albums. I went back through the negatives and made another selection of
images oriented towards Balboa High School, the Canal Zone, and Panama of the
early 1960's. This would have been Volume Four but the album was getting a
bit cumbersome to navigate; all have been combined.
Notes
Please let me know if I have made
error in names, if you remember missing names, or I have something all mixed up.
It has been over 40 years! I don't think the Scotch and beer have
helped. People's names are as I and other Kobbe-Zonian Kids remember them,
complete name on the first picture, then shortened to first name for any others. Most
color images were badly degraded into reddish tones; I did the best I could to
bring out the original color. Photos not taken by me are annotated with
the photographer's name.
-- Gary Strong, 2003