The untimely death of Jack Schofield (Jack Schofield, Guardian’s Ask Jack tech columnist, dies at 72, 1 April) has brought back happy memories of the years we worked together in the 1970s. I especially remember the hugely bold plan, hatched in 1976, to stage the first consumer photographic show at the NEC, Birmingham, and the time we spent on site beforehand doing some of the promotional pictures that later appeared in Photo Technique magazine, which he edited at the time. Photo World 77 was not the huge success that had been anticipated, but it set the scene for many much bigger exhibitions there in the years since.
I always thought Jack was much more “grown up” than me – but it turns out he was younger – and he was certainly much more self-confident. I learned a great deal from him about journalism, and photographic journalism in particular, for although you rightly concentrate on his computer knowledge, his journalism goes back to long before we even dreamed of having computers.
I first met Jack when I joined the writing pool at Photo Technique magazine in the early 1970s, later becoming a contributing editor. He brought a freshness to the magazine, encouraging his writers to blend fact with a chatty conversational style, thus creating the feel of a camera club in print. We developed a loyal readership who knew that each issue would help them improve their photography rather than just tell them what equipment to buy.
By the mid-1980s, I was head of visual communications at Wigan College of Technology, and Jack was happy to escape from his Guardian duties to act as external examiner on our innovative editorial design and photography course – where all the projects the students were set were “live” and would be published. Jack’s visits were always welcome, and his input and feedback were invaluable.
Prof John Hannavy
Great Cheverell, Wiltshire
At a time when there is no shortage of shocking and saddening news on a daily basis, the death of Jack Schofield hit me hard. In the late 1990s, I would rush to the Guardian’s Online supplement when I had access to the print version of the newspaper as a graduate student, and was sad when that stopped entirely. Later, I would read his Ask Jack columns, even though I often knew the answers. What kept me and others reading? It was the way he calmly, patiently and methodically took the reader through the various options and solutions every single time.
He had a generosity of spirit, unusual in an age of social media climbers, superstar bloggers and wannabe tech trend analysts. There was always something to learn from him and from some of the commenters below the line. In fact, he would regularly read people’s comments and reply to them.
Jack was humble enough to admit any (rare) errors and always seemed approachable, and his long-abiding passion for technology and breadth of experience always came through. So, although I never met him, it feels like losing a friend.
Dr Mark Paterson
University of Pittsburgh
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