In 1963, a ninth-grader, John Shearer, won the first of his many Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in photography. His talent was evident from the start. That same year, he attended John F. Kennedy’s funeral as an assistant to Look magazine’s photo director. When Shearer was unexpectedly handed a press pass, he grabbed his camera and, on sheer instinct, took the most widely-circulated photo of the event—a striking, slightly over-exposed tableau of the Kennedy family in mourning alongside John Jr. saluting his father’s casket. Shearer continued capturing seminal moments throughout his life, becoming a renowned civil rights photojournalist.

Shearer’s ability to merge empathy with his photographic skills set him apart from other photographers. By the age of 20, he was covering significant events, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. Later, he impacted students nationwide by contributing to Scholastic’s Black Literature Series anthology, The Black Hero. Throughout his career, he received 175 national awards and saw his works placed in institutions that include The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His legacy continues to live on as photographers worldwide reflect and learn from his work that documented a crucial period of American history. 

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Images courtesy of Marianne Shearer.