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.)

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

1961 Cosmetology Convention at Rickey's

I am not sure who any of these folks are, but it looks like they were having fun!

Shirlie took on all kinds of photo assignments. Conventions were one of her favorites -- well, not like the wrestlers were, but she loved to have fun and conventions gave her the opportunity to both have some fun and photograph people having fun.

See anyone you know? Let me know, I would love to i.d. them.

These folks look like they got carried away with the makeovers!
These shots are from the gathering of cosmetologists at Rickey's on the El Camino Real in Palo Alto back in 1961. The signs they are carrying read: San Jose Invites YOU in '61. Why a San Jose theme in Palo Alto? I don't know, except that San Jose was woefully short on great gathering places in the early 1960s.
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