Documenting downtown: Photographer sees Andover through his own lens

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To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:36:43 -0400

Andover Townsman, MA, USA
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

By Neil Fater

Being legally blind hasn't stopped Frank LaVallo from being a photographer. It
also hasn't stopped the born and bred Lawrencian from seeing something special
in downtown Andover.

For years, LaVallo has taken photographs of downtown Andover, in effect
documenting the changes inside and outside the business district. While he says
he would never leave Lawrence, he could serve as a press agent for Andover's
downtown area.

"I just love being in Andover. I love to look at them [his photos], especially
in the dead of winter when I'm not on the streets. I find a lot of people from
Lawrence come here. It's another world. It's their escape, I'll put it that
way," he said. "I like having them to look at because it's like being in
Andover when I can't get to Andover for one reason or another."

Because of his vision problems, LaVallo is only able to see his photos - and
the subjects of his photography - with difficulty, he said.

"My vision is worse now then when I started taking the pictures. I go be
composition more than anything else. I can see mass, I can see trees," he said.
"I cross my fingers and sometimes they come out.

"[People ask,] why do I take these photos if I'm not going to be able to see
them afterward? But as long as I have some sight, it's difficult to turn it off
like a light switch," he said.

Years ago, LaVallo took numerous pictures of Boston buildings and discussed
publishing them in a book, he said. He remembers going into the former
Thompson's stationary store on Andover's Main Street, looking for a photo
album. He met Nancy Landry there, she took an interest in his photos and the
two became friends.

"When her husband died, she went back to Cincinnati to be with her family,"
said LaVallo. "We've had a friendship that goes back 20 years. She's remarried
now and we still write, we still communicate."

It's people like Landry, along with the actual businesses themselves, that make
the downtown special, according to LaVallo.

"There seems to be a perception out of town that people [in Andover] are
snooty. I don't know where that comes from," said LaVallo, who has an uncle and
aunt who live downtown at the corner of Punchard and Main streets. "That hasn't
been my experience anyway."

He figures many people will get a kick out of seeing some of the businesses
that are no longer in town. Perhaps some fond memories will be stirred.

"It's not a matter of living in the past, it's just that I have them. I look at
them because - when I like a place, when I'm happy in a place, it gives me a
sense of serenity - and I know that's mushy but that's how I feel about
Andover. I like to hold onto it," he said. "I guess you could say it's a love
affair with the town."

LaVallo does not know how long he will be able to see as well as he does
currently.

"I can see the difference even in the last seven, eight months. It's a macular
degeneration condition. I've been legally blind since 1977," he said.

"People think if you're legally blind, you're legally blind. But there are
parameters," he said. "I don't know how much more my vision will deteriorate."

But he still enjoys being in town and looking at his pictures. He notes that
some of the downtown shops - Royal Jewelers and Kaps, for instance - used to be
in Lawrence.

"People always talk about the heyday of Lawrence, but it's gone," said LaVallo,
glancing at some of his Andover pictures. "And some of these are gone, too.

"But the nice thing about Andover is new businesses come in to fill the gap."

http://www.andovertownsman.com/townspeople/local_story_290155052.html?keyword=secondarystory
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Documenting downtown: Photographer sees Andover through his own lens

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