Eugene Tupper
1925-April 23, 2011
Lodi, California

Eugene Tupper, 85, a former resident of Palo Alto, died April 23 after a brief illness.

He was born in San Francisco in 1925 and raised in Palo Alto by his mother and grandparents. He attended Palo Alto High School, served in the U.S. Army during World War II, then studied photojournalism at San Jose State University, where he met his wife, Catherine. The couple raised their family in Los Altos.

He worked as a photographer for the Palo Alto Times from 1948 until his retirement in 1981. There, according to a 1981 article, he was the newspaper employee best known by the public, and he photographed many celebrities including Harry S. Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Beatles and Willie Mays, among many others. He also covered the Pebble Beach golf tournament, many Stanford University sporting events and did private photography work up and down the Peninsula.

After retirement he moved to Lodi, where he enjoyed golf, boating and trailer-travel trips with his wife and friends. "He was a very modest man who never took enough credit for his many accomplishments, including recognition from the Army in defense of his fellow soldiers and various awards for his photography," his daughter Linda said.

He is survived by his wife, Catherine Tupper of Lodi; daughter Linda Spalinger of Boulder Creek; and son Craig Tupper and his wife Wendy of Yamhill, Ore.

Tags: arts/media