John Savage (1903-1989) was a photographer at the Omaha World-Herald known for risking his life for making a picture. From mass murderers to presidents to his famous leaping lamb from a 1946 Life Magazine cover, Savage covered it all. He was also a man of action. He helped create the NNPA and Omaha Press Club and served at president of National Press Photographers Association. By establishing a memorial fund, Savage's continues to leave his mark on our profession.

Savage's Work Will Live On
Omaha World - Herald
June 22, 1989

John Savage, with his camera lens, helped Midlanders see themselves. The retired World - Herald photographer, who
died Sunday at the age of 83, made thousands of pictures during his 48 - year newspaper career.

His work constitutes an irreplaceable record of his era. To some younger staff members, Savage at the height of his career fit the Hollywood image of the gruff, hard - driving newsman with a heart of gold.

No photo assignment seemed too tough for him. He was the only photographer to get inside the Wyoming jail where Caril Fugate, companion of mass slayer Charles Starkweather, was being held after their capture in 1958. Another time, while covering a plane crash, he led other photographers into an area that the Air Force tried to keep off limits.

Retired World - Herald Managing Editor Hugh Fogarty said that Savage "thought nothing of risking his life for a picture." Savage photographed the noted personalities of his era from Babe Ruth to Father Flanagan and all the presidents from Herbert Hoover to Ronald Reagan. He also photographed ordinary people - people whose activities, however briefly, became newsworthy. Savage had other accomplishments.

He was a founder of the Omaha Press Club and the Nebraska Press Photographers Association. He served as president of the National Press Photographers Association.

He was active in church and civic groups and, after his retirement, served eight years in the Nebraska Legislature. But he never lost his photojournalist's eye for a good picture. The photographs he so proudly made and preserved now become his memorial, as well as a splendid historical legacy for future generations of Midlanders.