Gazette Photographer Vanessa Fournier was nominated for and received a Hardwick Humanitarian Award from the Kiwanis Club at a ceremony, Monday, Feb. 24. What follows is what I read before she was presented with the award.
Vanessa Fournier graduated from Hazen Union School in 1973 and went to work for a photo place in Bennington, then returned to Hardwick to work for Vin Zecchinelli of Farland Studio for several years. She started her own photo business in 1979. She’s been in photography for 52 years, working for The Hardwick Gazette for 46 of those years. She retired in 2023 and is still taking pictures for The Gazette because she still loves what she does.
Vanessa has worked for The Gazette longer than anyone else working for the newspaper. While I’ve only worked directly with her for the last year, we both worked for the paper about 15 years ago. I’ve been in the area for 35 years and encountered her many times as she was taking photos at area events.
Vanessa has been clicking her shutter to take Gazette photographs for 46 years, except for a gap of 8 years when she worked elsewhere. She started her career with the Popes, when the black and white photography process involved handling trays of stinky chemicals with tongs in a dark room to create negatives and prints. Vanessa now carries the latest of digital cameras and has the luxury of producing a color product for the all-digital online version The Gazette has become.
I’m not sure Vanessa herself fully understands her value to the paper. Though she works alone, out in the community, taking pictures, by virtue of attending so many significant events, she is the eyes, the ears and even the voice of the paper, interacting with almost everyone who isn’t a recluse. Imagine if it were your job to crash every party in town, day in and day out, month after month, year after year for 46 years. Some see Vanessa out and about in our town almost more often than they see their own family members. Vanessa shows up everywhere as a friendly face and coaxes us to stand, smile and turn our heads so the sun doesn’t reflect off our glasses.
Vanessa says, with a giant smile of her own, “I love what I do! In 46 years, I’ve only had about 10 people refuse to be photographed for the Gazette.” During that time, I very conservatively estimate that she has documented, with pictures, at least ten thousand events in the life of Hardwick and our neighboring communities.
Vanessa has been at least as much the face of The Hardwick Gazette as the editors and other staff have been over the years. She’s heard the community’s praise and complaints about the paper during those 46 years and always shares them so we can make things right when they need to be made right.
We appreciate Vanessa’s work for the paper and especially her ability to capture action shots of children playing school sports.
Paul Fixx, editor
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
