Del Ankers, Photographer, Part 2

Copyright © Maria Elizabeth Freire

Del Ankers (see sunset post from today as well as the two entries below this one) photographed all the presidents from FDR through Nixon, but I think it’s significant that the one he seems to have gotten on with in a personal way was Harry S. Truman.

According to Del, Truman was supposed to sit in the Oval Office for as long as it took a sculptor to do studies and sketches necessary for his official bust. Truman couldn’t stand the idea of wasting all that time, and had Del take a 360° series of photos for the sculptor to use instead.

At one White House event, the Associated Press photographer was too inebriated to function.

“Ankers,” Mr. Truman reportedly said, “could you take the shot for this fella? I’d hate to see the poor s.o.b. lose his job just because he had too many martinis at lunch.”

Copyright © Maria Elizabeth Freire

It’s very difficult to convey Del’s combination of glamour and complete unselfconsciousness – a unique blend of Bedford, Virginia, country boy and Washington man about town. I believe the actor he’s kidding around with here is Duncan Renaldo, who had played the Cisco Kid for many years – although by this time, the series was history (it ended in 1956) and it appears the actor was doing a commercial for “Pro-tek-tiv Children’s Shoes.” And Del had started his film business, Rodel. This photo isn’t the greatest, but it does convey something of the Del Ankers I knew.