Running through the end of October 2012, the Arthur L. Mann Memorial Library in West Paris, Maine, will be honoring Milton Inman of Greenwood by displaying his photography and paintings. An open house was held at the library on July 13 in which over 100 friends and family stopped in to pay tribute to a great man as well as his craft as an extremely talented photographer and painter.

Most of you know that Milton Inman has been a contributing photographer for the years I’ve written on the Black Bear Blog and my newest blog TomRemington.com. He honored me by accepting an invitation several years to give him his own little “corner”, Milt’s Corner, to display a few of his fitting photographs. In addition he has kept us all entertained by providing pictures of odd things, asking readers, “Whatzit?”

Milt Inman was born on Pioneer Street in West Paris (sometime after the landing of the Pilgrims), a very fitting street for an adventurous person and a pioneer in many of his own ways.

His interest in photography began many years ago when he says he took his first pictures with a Kodak Brownie camera. I wonder how many readers remember what one looked like? Often Milt had to borrow a camera because he couldn’t afford one of his own. He says one of his first memorable photos was of a train wreck near the feldspar mine. He guesses he was 10 or 12 years old at that time.

Mr. Inman thrived in the outdoors. He loved to fish and hunt but those of us who knew him best knew his first and deepest love was fishing, having made several trips to Alaska specifically to fish…..well, he might have panned a little gold and done a few other perhaps “unmentionable” things while traveling with friends and family.

There were other interests that Milt had besides photography and the outdoors. He played basketball at West Paris High School and was a member of the team that won the Western Maine Championship in 1948. They lost the state title by one point that same year. Other interests included: Scoutmaster for 8 years, a founder of the West Paris Historical Society, and organized the first West Paris Soap Box Derby races. And did I forget to mention he was a member of the West Paris and Greenwood fire departments for 64 years?

Milt attributes many of the opportunities he has had to capture some of his breathtaking photographs by spending a great deal of time traveling. He says he has visited every state of the Union, except Hawaii and nearly every Canadian Province.

He graduated from West Paris High School in 1948 and went to work for Bell Minerals mining. After leaving the mines, Milt learned to be a very accomplished stone, brick and block mason along with many of the other building trades. He and his brother Vernon co-owned Inman Bros. Masonry. Some local buildings he built were the West Paris Fire Station, Town Office, Legion Memorial School as well as schools in East Sumner and Peru. There are many field stone fireplaces Milton and his brother have built in the area and I still take notice of them whenever I have the fortune to go by them.

If you visit his home in Greenwood City, take caution as to where you walk. You are apt to trip over one of his cameras. “I always keep three or four cameras and a tripod at the ready in my living room,” says Milt.

He and I have gone on a few photo shoots in various places over the years. At the open house, I teased him that I thought some of those photos must have been mine……..but I know better.

I have always been blown away by Milt’s talent as a painter. This is something that he began only a handful of years ago by taking a few lessons while wintering in Florida. Almost instantly it became obvious his talents far exceeded peeking through a camera lens.

Plan to make a trip to West Paris and take in viewing Milt’s work. It will be worth the trip as the saying goes.

Below are a few photos, all taken by Al Remington, during the open house.

Al Remington Photo

Al Remington Photo

Al Remington Photo

Al Remington Photo

Al Remington Photo