WATERVILLE — Rich Abrahamson, a photojournalist at the Waterville Morning Sentinel, is the Artist of Month of July at Jorgensen’s Café, 103 Main St. His exhibit is titled, “A Soldier Says Goodbye.”

The photos can be viewed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Abrahamson will receive guests and talk about the exhibit from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 18, and from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, July 24. Gatherings to hear the discussion are limited to 20 people. A 6-foot distance between people is also being encouraged because of the coronavirus.

Abrahamson followed a World War II veteran through the twilight of life. The soldier, a 96-year-old Swede from Boxholm, Iowa, farmed with horses and picked corn by hand before joining the first group of Boone County Iowa men drafted into service in 1942. He joined the Army Air Corps and was assigned to crew on a B-24 heavy bomber.

The same exhibit will be shown Sept. 15 through Nov. 14 at The Framemakers at 46 Main St. in Waterville. The online version of the exhibit opens at theframemakers.com on Sept. 21. The physical exhibit can be viewed by appointment only by calling The Framemakers at 207-872-8927.

Before joining the staff of the Waterville Morning Sentinel in 2019, Abrahamson, an Iowa native, worked with newspapers in Colorado and Iowa. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Northwest Missouri State University in 1987. A few months later he was hired as the lone photographer at the Fort Morgan Times, a small family owned newspaper on Colorado’s northeast plains. He was on staff at The Fort Collins Coloradoan for 22 years then returned to Iowa where he served as a writer and photographer for The Boone News-Republican and Ames Tribune.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.