Shirlie Montgomery Girl Photographer: Shirlie in Santa Cruz 1939

Shirlie Alice Montgomery June 9, 1918 – November 5, 2012

Shirlie Alice Montgomery was born on Chapman Street in San Jose on June 9, 1918. She was an only child. To her friends and neighbors she was a treasure trove of history. Shirlie remembered it all. She remembered the Great Depression as a child, the Second World War as a young woman, and eventually the transformation of the Santa Clara Valley from a moderately sized agricultural town to the hustle and bustle of modern Silicon Valley. The majority of her memories were supported by the thousands of photographs in her collection.

She was the surviving grandniece of San Jose’s forefather T.S. Montgomery. Shirlie lived a colorful life but professionally she photographed it with a 4X5 Speed Graphic in B&W. She was a celebrated photographer that shot Hollywood stars, U.S. Presidents and pro wrestlers. Although Shirlie did work for the S. F. Examiner and the San Jose Mercury, her works remain some of the best representations of pro wrestling from the 40’s thru the 60’s. When asked about her penchant for shooting professional wrestlers she would answer “I always liked the big boys.” Such stories Shirlie had!

She will never be forgotten. God rest her soul. (Obituary by Joe Holt, neighbor and friend.)

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Shirlie in Santa Cruz 1939

Shirlie loved Santa Cruz ... loved the beach, loved the "hunks" and loved getting her picture taken in a bathing suit. These photos (pictures, she liked to call them) are from a 1939 album of Shirlie's. It starts at the 1939 World's Fair on Treasure Island and goes on to a lot of fun things she did that year. I focused here on Santa Cruz.

One thing I learned from seeing Shirlie's albums was that she was not just a photographer, but an artist! Take a look at some of her illustrations and graphic layout in these pages. Pretty neat!