The Illustrious “One Shot Doc” E DDIE W INIFRED “ D OC ” H ELM , 33 O S TUART A, L EE , II, 33 O , O RIENT OF THE F AR E AST
1934. One of his first duties was to hoist the flag on top of the Illinois Statehouse Capitol Building each morning and take it down each evening, which required him to climb to the top of the building. He performed this task with no safety harness or equipment to protect him. In the early 1940s, he took a job with the Illinois State Library, responsible for microfilming documents. Because the facility had a photo lab, he obtained permission from the head librarian to develop film there during his breaks, which he did. Realizing a lack of professional black photographers in Springfield, Ill. Helm opened his commercial studio in 1943. Shortly afterward, Ms. Helene D.
Helm Renfro. Afterward, his nickname evolved to "One Shot Doc" because of his ability to compose photos in his mind. He often required just one shot to capture the image he envisioned. Over the years, I l l . H e l m
photographed state receptions and funerals and portraits of politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities. He took photographs of famous persons such as
Rogers, Head Librarian, recognized his gift for
photography and in February of 1944, he was promoted to O f f i c i a l S t a t e Photographer. Illustrious Helm quickly earned the
nickname "One Shot Doc" through his professional work ethic and exceptional eye for photography. There were two reasons for the name. He earned the nickname "Doc" because one of his first jobs was delivering prescriptions for a local pharmacy, according to a 2010 interview with his daughter, Beverly
21
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator