User:Kayak paddler/David Joseph Marcou

Wikipedia Bio for David Joseph Marcou.

David Joseph Marcou has lived in London (1981), Seoul (1984-87), and US Midwest. He is a writer and documentary photographer of more than 1,000 articles/essays/features; author of 15 plays, hundreds of poems, and ca. 140 books so far, including the ca. 55-vol. ‘Spirit of America’ series. He also happens to be Wisconsin’s most prolific living author.

Birth, Family Background, and Education

David J. Marcou was born Nov. 25, 1950 in La Crosse, WI. Roman and Ida Brunner Muskat were his mom’s (Rose’s, born in Dane Co.) parents. Roman raised show-roosters, hens, bees, crops, later selling his Cataract, WI farm to a Christmas tree rancher. David A. Sr. and Agnes Fitzgerald Marcou were David J.’s dad’s parents and owners of Marcou’s Market on La Crosse’s Rose St. David J.’s parents are David A. Marcou Jr. (when he was 6 months old, the Buffalo, WI, Co. newspaper termed DvJM’s dad ‘The Buffalo of Baby County’ — i.e., short but powerfully-built), a meat-cutter, and Rose, a retired medical records administrator. His parents married Valentine’s Day 1950, celebrating their 65th anniversary in 2015, 3 weeks before David A. Jr. passed. After graduating Aquinas HS in 1968 (also his parents’ school), David J. earned a BA in History (UW-Madison-’73), MA in American Studies (UI-Iowa City-’78), and BJ in Journalism (UM–Columbia-’84).

Marcou’s best teachers include his parents and ancestors; FSPA nuns (12 years); Jack Nockels; Jim Southworth; UW’s Dan Rodgers (whom he took several classes with and who’d win the Bancroft Prize at Princeton in 2009), Esther Jackson (his adviser 2 years, who’d written the first book re: Tennessee Williams plays), Tom Ryan; Iowa’s John Raeburn, Jon Walton, Sherman Paul, Rich Horwitz, Al Stone, Ed Folsom, Hanno Hardt; UM’s JH Whale, Veita Jo Hampton, Angus McDougall, Ernie Morgan, Karen List, and its Authors Group. Emeritus Profs. Roger A. Grant and Darryl Moen are mentors. Marcou has worked as a newspaper-carrier, meat-cutter & grocery clerk, UPS clerk, sports manager-trainer, professional note-taker, lifeguard, librarian, custodian, clerk-typist, teacher, photographer, and journalist. His siblings are: Dennis, a judge/attorney; Dan, a Wis. SWAT Officer of the Year (2005), author, & PoliceOne columnist; Tom, an Air Force veteran and former federal accountant now building/selling houses with wife Joy, a former civilian Defense Dept. employee; Diane, a policewoman; Lynn, a government worker; and Mary Kate, an accountant.

David married Spanish teacher Ann Majeska in 1972. In 1974, they saw Sagreda Familia, Prado, and plays starring Jason Robards, Colleen Dewhurst, Charles Durning, Diana Rigg, Sir John Gielgud, and other top actors. Next, Marcou was a UW drama grad student, transferring to UI in 1977. After earning his American Studies MA in 1978, David was the full-time clerk-typist for the UW-Madison graduate center soon renamed the Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs — typing letters, articles, and books for Carl Runge, Dennis Dresang, William H. Young, George Gant (a former TVA GM), Clara Penniman (center-founder and first woman professor in the UW Political Science Dept.), John Witte, et. al. David and Ann divorced in 1979.

Professional and Personal Life

Enrolling in Sept. 1980 at University of Missouri-Columbia, David Marcou’s first photo-story covered Patrick Clark, a spirited boy with spina bifida. In 1981, his first commission was for Missouri Life magazine on Hannibal (in 2013, his lead Hannibal photo was named a top-40 photo in ML history). A London Sunday Times intern in 1981 under John Whale, Marcou interviewed ex-Picture Post magazine staffers Bert Hardy and James Cameron, plus Mrs. Bert (Sheila) Hardy. His photo of Bert with dogs is in the Photos Collection of Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. Marcou interviewed Maurice McMullan, brother of 2 IRA hunger-strikers. And he reported on the tense meeting between 50 IRA relatives and Crd. Basil Hume at London’s Catholic Cathedral rectory; paralympic champ Rudi Christopher; Canonbury preschool; immigration; medicine; artist Erica Daborn; A. Shepp and C. McGhee at Camden Jazz Festival; Almeida Theatre; and El-Hakawati, the only professional Palestinian drama troupe then, which would become the National Palestinian Theatre, both directed by Francois Abu Salem. His flat-mates at 13 Willow Bridge Road included Pinki Virani, author of ‘Once Was Bombay’, ‘Aruna’s Story’, ‘ Bitter Chocolate’, “Child Sex Abuse in India’, ‘Deaf Heaven’, etc.; and Cal Lawrence, an abc.com coordinating producer.

Graduating UM, Marcou became a lead Yonhap News Agency copy-editor in Seoul, during which time he met and photographed St. Mother Teresa. In 1986, he reported/edited for Business Korea magazine, was Industry Editor for Korea-Europe Economic Report, and married fashion designer Suk-Hee Sim, divorcing in 1992; they have one son together, Matt. In 1990 David edited the Adams-Friendship weeklies; one of his photo-essays was ‘A Day in the Life of a Country Vet’, on Wis. veterinary chair JA ‘Doc’ Hines (also a state legislator). Marcou was La Crosse correspondent 13 years for Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, reporting on the Coon Creek Riot of 1991; a triple-homicide; several mysterious river-deaths, including nephew Tony Skifton’s; etc. He’s been published in Smithsonian magazine, RPS (Royal Photographic Society) Journal, British Journal of Photography, New York Times, etc. Among his 1-man photo-shows was ‘For the Ladies Who Like Rossini’ (Seoul, 1984). His ‘Picturing Our World’ La Crosse Public Library Jan. 2000 display comprised 500 photos.

David Marcou’s photos are street, event, portrait, and fine-art images, including homeless, Amish, St. Mother Teresa, 5 US Presidents (Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama, & Trump), Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Tammy Baldwin, Paul Ryan (David nicknamed Ryan ‘The Lincoln from Wisconsin’ in 2011), the Gingriches, Manya Friedman, Cipora Katz, Gerda Klein, Anne Frank’s step-sister Eva Schloss, Magda Herzberger, Elie Wiesel, Patrick Desbois, Mariah Idrissi, David Brooks, Ed Asner, Ray Burke, Wm. Callahan, Gerald Listecki, Lord Runcie, Katharine J. Schori, Jesse Jackson, Andy Young, Danica Patrick, Paul Hornung, Brett Favre, Alan Page, Barry Alvarez, Paul Chryst, Ron Dayne, Mel Gordon, Corey Clement, Joel Stave, Scott Tolzien, JJ Watt, Bronson Koenig, Juan Williams, reporter John Roberts, American Writers Museum founder Malcolm O’Hagan, PBS NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer and Judy Woodruff, Merle and Theresa Haggard, Caroline Kennedy, Sharon Stone, and Soledad O’Brien. Virgil, J. Caesar, Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Dickens, Twain, Dickinson, Whitman, Yeats, Faulkner, O’Neill, Harper Lee, Art Miller, Dylan Thomas, Lorraine Hansberry, JN Niepce, Mathew Brady, Jacob Riis, Lewis W. Hine, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-White, Gordon Parks, H. Cartier-Bresson, Tim Gidal, Rick Wood, Robert Frank, Annie Leibovitz, John Loengard, Harry Benson, Bob and Cornell Capa, Viv Maier, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Sir Winston Churchill, the Roosevelts, Lord Snowdon, Jane Bown, Sammy Lee, WE Smith, Andre Kertesz, another James Cameron (b. in La Crosse, founder of America’s Black Holocaust Museum), John Medinger, and Patrick Zielke are among his writing subjects.

David Marcou has authored ‘All the Best’ (the first complete history of Picture Post, Britain’s most-read WWII mag); ‘The Cockney Eye: Bert Hardy (1913-1995)’; ‘Crucial Collaborations’ (Hardy/Cameron in Korea); ‘James Cameron’s World (1911-1985)’; ‘Lewis W. Hine, 1874-1940’; and his take on world photo history, ‘The Photographic Spirit’. In 2013, aided by the National Library and Archives of Quebec and the La Crosse Diocesan Archives, he verified his family’s direct descent from explorer Louis Joliet (‘From Joliet to Marcou in Wisconsin’). He photographed 5 editions of ‘American Eyes’. Emeritus BJP editor Jon Tarrant noted, ‘[Marcou’s] American pictures are authentically patriotic, and his pictures of people, uniquely personal.’

After directing-editing the first 3 group-volumes of ‘Spirit of America’, David has photographed-authored-edited dozens more SA vols., including his 100th book, SA17/2Ed., which features a photo-portrait of Bart and Cherry Starr on the front-cover; ‘Heroic Disabled” ‘Everyday New Yorkers in BW’; and ‘The Washingtonians’. Also he directed/co-edited the group photo-book ‘Light, Shadow, & Spirit’ emulating Edward Steichen’s ‘Family of Man’ (2003); and researched/authored ‘Things As They Are: Eight 20th Century Documentary Photo Masters’ (2016). Other DvJM SA volumes — e.g., subtitled ‘Some of My Impressions of Women’; ‘Street Photos with Eyes Open’; ‘La Crosse Eye’; ‘Good in the Details’; ‘Black Diversity’; ‘Mr. Twain’s Secret, Main Street’; ‘Never Giving Up’; ‘Uncommon Sense’; ‘Simple Gifts’; ‘Gratitude’; ‘Visually Captivating (Portraits)’; & ‘Learning Humble, Grateful, & Careful'(SA50) — cover a variety of found-life people and places. His SA volumes also include the group photo-book he directed, edited, and was lead-photographer for ‘SA31, 2nd Edition: Service and Peaceful Evolution’, plus individual-efforts ‘Frank Lloyd Wright’s Photographic Eye’, and ‘Rebirths’ (9 plays by DvJM).

Marcou has authored his life-story (‘If I Do the Research, the Lord Brings Me Luck’, 1992); British and Korean memoirs; and 1998 novel ‘Chosen’. He’s photographed his 18-vol. ‘Human Character’ series (including ‘American Women in Photos’ and ‘American Eye Abroad’), plus his 4-vol. ‘The Tenacity of Pleasant Surprises’. ‘Evolving Happiness’ is his poetry book dedicated to his parents’ 65th Valentine Anniversary. ‘Playful Daffodils’ is his 2015 book of re-discovered 1985 poems. His first book (photos) was ‘Calling America’ (Seoul, 1986). He leads the American Writers and Photographers Alliance (begun via adult Western Tech classes he taught), and has assigned, compiled, sequenced, and edited ca. 1,000 co-creators’ works. He’s raised monies, hired/paid designers, printers, and other pros, and paid all bills on-time. He’s written 15 plays, including his Pulitzer-nominated ‘Remembering Davy Crockett’ (2012, with Steve Kiedrowski as The Old Man); ‘Bloody Math: An American Tragedy’ on the 1970 anti-war bombing of UW-Madison’s Sterling Hall; ‘As Angels Do in Heaven’, a semi-fictional drama based on Bert Hardy’s life; ‘Borderline’, a thriller set near Korea’s DMZ; a coffeeshop duologue ‘Korean Love Song’; and ‘Song of Joy–Or the Old Reliables’, his sequel to Sean O’Casey’s classic tragicomedy ‘Juno and the Paycock’. Marcou’s comic sequel shows pub crawlers Boyle and Daly sober after decades drunk. Colleen Hogan directed its pub/fight scene at Irishfest-La Crosse in 2008, and soon after, its full staged reading to begin AHS’s 80th year. Marcou later revised SOJOTOR based on a positive National Theatre of Ireland critique. One of his newest published plays is ‘The Marcous of Prospect Street’, based on the lives of his own family.

Awards and Distinctions

In addition to two Pulitzer-nominations for ‘Remembering Davy Crockett’ and La Crosse Tribune op-eds, and two Pictures of the Year International book-nominations, Marcou led AWPA to Sept. 12 Guild’s top award for Oct. 2001’s ‘Spirit of America, V1’ (received in 2002 from Greg Hilbert at Mary Eisenhower’s People to People Global Conference) — 2-time Pulitzer-winner David McCullough called SA1, which includes works by 115 creative co-contributors, a ‘sumptuous treasure trove’. In 2006, AWPA earned Gov. Jim Doyle’s Governor’s Commendation for the Marcou-led ‘Spirit of the World’. Co-authors for the group books include students, teachers, officials (e.g., all 8 then-living governors Marcou enlisted for 2005’s ‘Spirit of Wisconsin’), entrepreneurs, nurses, journalists, photographers, archivists, sponsors, and other friends, including the Freiberg Family of Wausau, and David W. Johns of Overland Park, KS).

In Marcou’s ‘Pictures of Human Life’, R.A. Grant notes: ‘David has woven a tapestry of the human spirit that transcends cultural, geographic, and ideological boundaries.’ His works are in Korea’s National Assembly, Brit. National Portrait Gallery, MOMA, ICP, and Eastman House Libraries in New York, Smithsonian(SI), US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Missouri and Wisconsin Historical Societies (including DvJM’s online WHS gallery), Library of Congress, UW-L, Viterbo University, AHS, and La Crosse Public Library Archives (including his gallery on LPLA’s La Crosse History Unbound website). DPhotographer.co.uk has published 3,600+ photos taken by DvJM. In 2011-2012, DvJM’s personally-taken 2008 photos of Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were in SI National Museum of American History Archives Center’s group-show ‘Gift of the Artist’ (SI Curator: David Haberstich). SI National Museum of the American Indian owns ca. 32 photos DvJM took at the ‘Last Stand Symphony’ world debut Apr. 24, 2008 dress rehearsal, at Viterbo U., with La Crosse Symphony Orchestra led by Amy Mills; composers were: 3-time Grammyist Jewish-Mahican Bill Miller; Joshua Yudkin; and Kristin Wilkinson). Eight of David’s presidential campaign photos are in Dec. 2009’s nytimes.com group-feature ‘Documenting the Decade’, more images than any other single photographer’s contributions there. And David J. Marcou’s best photo-portrait of his parents (David A. and Rose C. Marcou) celebrating their 60th Valentine Wedding Anniversary in 2010 is published on Guardian newspaper’s witness.theguardian.com blog, on the theme of ‘Strong’.

David Joseph Marcou’s photos of and many letters from St. Mother Teresa; Yonhap job (hired via Won Ho Chang); and son Matt, are mentioned in Steve Weinberg’s centennial history of the UM Journalism School (world’s oldest J-school), ‘A Journalism of Humanity’ (p.126, first edition 2008).

References

1-‘If I Do the Research, the Lord Brings Me Luck: The Plain-Spoken Autobiography of David J. Marcou’, La Crosse, WI: RC Printing, May 1992. 2-‘Mother Teresa “Miracle” Led to Renewed Faith,’ Linda McAlpine report, La Crosse Tribune, Oct. 2003, p. 1+. Letters following David J. Marcou’s photographing Mother Teresa Jan. 27, 1985 (on Sept. 4, 2016, MT was canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta) in Anyang, S.Korea, shared between ‘Saint of the Gutters’ and Marcou, 1989-1996, renewed his faith in God and Humanity. 3-‘A People Person,’ British Journal of Photography, June 18, 2003. 3-page article written by and 7 photos taken by David J. Marcou on dealing with celebrities. 4-Wisconsin Historical Society Library and Archives, Madison, David J. Marcou papers and photographs, (works’ period covered so far) 1968-2017. 5-LaCrosse Public Library Manuscript Collection (MSS 075), Works by David J. Marcou. 6-‘Mayor Uses Personal Approach in Campaigning for La Crosse,’ Milwaukee Journal article by David J. Marcou on Mayor Patrick Zielke entered into Daily Congressional Record by US Sen. Robert Kasten (R-WI), S12810 [11SE], Sept. 10 to Sept. 20, 1991, 102nd Congress, 1st Session. 7-‘Western Wisconsin: Book Captures Local Spirit’, Wis. State Journal review of ‘Spirit of America: Heartland Voices, World Views’, with review by William Wineke, Sun., Dec. 30, 2001, p.F3. SA group-series was directed/edited by David Marcou. 8-‘Governors’ Essays Make the Book’, Wisconsin State Journal, July 17, 2005, William Wineke’s review of ‘Spirit of Wisconsin’, group-anthology directed and edited by David J. Marcou for American Writers and Photographers Alliance. 9-‘David Marcou tells his faith journey through photographs,’ Joe Orso’s La Crosse Tribune report including photos by Marcou and his son, Aug. 3, 2007. 10-‘Photo book, online gallery celebrate Wisconsin Life’, Wisconsin State Journal review by Jeanne Kolker, Dec. 27, 2010, of ‘American Eyes’, a book of David and son’s best photos. 11-‘Remembering Davy Crockett,’ 3rd Edition, La Crosse, WI: DigiCOPY, July 2014. 12-‘Playwright Puts New Spin on Davy Crockett’, Geri Parlin La Crosse Tribune preview, Apr. 14, 2012, of David J. Marcou-written/-directed play ‘Remembering Davy Crockett’, which debuted in April 2012 and was nominated in early 2013 for a Pulitzer Prize. 13-‘Local Playwright Pens Sequel to Classic Irish Play’, Geri Parlin La Crosse Tribune preview, Aug. 5, 2008, of David J. Marcou’s ‘Song of Joy–Or the Old Reliables’. 14-‘Love Songs in the Key of Life’, 6 plays written by David J. Marcou, La Crosse, WI: DigiCOPY, 2012. 15-‘Human Character, Vol. 6: American Women in Photos’, by David Joseph Marcou. San Francisco: Blurb, 2013. 16-‘Human Character, Vol. 14: American Eye Abroad, 1981-87’, by David Joseph Marcou. San Francisco: Blurb, 2014. 17-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 6: Heroic Disabled’, by David J. Marcou. San Francisco: Blurb, 2014. 18-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 11: Everyday New Yorkers in BW,’ by David Joseph Marcou. San Francisco: Blurb, 2014. 19-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 14: The Washingtonians’, by David Joseph Marcou. San Francisco: Blurb, 2014. 20-‘The Peoples’ Champions’ (‘Photographic Equality: Dorothea Lange, Her Migrant Mother, and the Nisei Internees ‘ and ‘Gordon Parks: The Jackie Robinson/Muhammad Ali of the Arts’). La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2016. 21-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 28: Things As They Are — Eight 20th Century Documentary Photo Masters.’ La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2016. 22-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 29: Black Diversity, in Documentary Photos, 1980-2016.’ La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2016. (Re-issued w. amended cover as ‘…Vol. 55: Black Diversity (Revisited)…’. 23-‘Evolving Happiness: God and Humanity in My Little Book of Poems’, by David Joseph Marcou. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2015. 24-‘Playful Daffodils’ (Rediscovered poems by DvJM from 1985). La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2015. 25-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 34: Rebirths — Nine Plays Authored by David Joseph Marcou’. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2016. 26-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 36: Mr. Twain’s Secret, Main Street — The Art of Human Curiosity in Essays on Humor, Sadness, Life, and Love’, Researched, Written, and Authored by David Joseph Marcou. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 27-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 37: Never Giving Up — Places, Presidents, Journalists, Everyday People, and St. Teresa of Calcutta’, Photographed and Authored by David Joseph Marcou. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 28-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 38: Uncommon Sense — Callings to Write, Photograph, and Edit.’ By Author-Photographer David Joseph Marcou. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 29-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 39: Simple Gifts — Or Contracting the Word-Photo Habit and Surviving with Love.’ By Author-Photographer David Joseph Marcou. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 30-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 40: Gratitude — Character Excellence Seen Via Becoming and Remaining Young-at-Heart in Documentary Photos & Words.’ By Photographer-Author David Joseph Marcou. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 31-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 46: Visually Captivating’ (Portraits). La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 32-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 47: A Documentary Calling’ (Words & Photos). La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 33-‘Spirit of America, Vol. 50: Learning Humble, Grateful, & Careful — Artful Documentary Photos & Text by David Joseph Marcou’. La Crosse: DigiCOPY, 2017. 34-Photo-portrait by David Joseph Marcou of Bert Hardy with dogs Lizzie and Kim, Surrey, UK, Nov. 1981, in Photos Collection of Britain’s National Portrait Gallery(NPGx126230). 35-‘An Enduring Legacy’, David J. Marcou’s personal account of interviewing Bert Hardy and James Cameron in 1981, for RPS (Royal Photographic Society) Journal’s coverage of 20-year anniversary since Mr. Hardy’s death, ‘Bert Hardy HonFRPS: Heritage’, July 2015. 36-[ http://www.wxow.com/story/30792745/2015/12/19/local-author-publishes-100th-book ] — WXOW-ABC-TV report by Tianna Vanderhei about Dec. 19, 2015 Pearl St. Bookstore signing for David Joseph Marcou’s 100th book, SA17/2Ed., including interview with author DvJM.

External Links

• http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=Ny:True,Ro:0,N:4294963828-4294963805&dsNavOnly=Ntk:All%7cdavid+marcou%7c3%7c,Ny:True,Ro:0&dsRecordDetails=R:CS3759&dsDimensionSearch=D:david+marcou,Dxm:All,Dxp:3&dsCompoundDimensionSearch=D:david+marcou,Dxm:All,Dxp:3 ]] – Weblink to David J. Marcou’s online photo gallery on Wisconsin Historical Society website.

E-Mail Address: davidjmarcou@gmail.com