An exhibit showcasing 60 years of photography by R. Thomas Berner will bridge generations by supporting activities of today's youth.

Berner's first show, "60 Years Later: A Photo Exhibition," premiered March 20 at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center, with proceeds to benefit local groups.The presentation, to run through April 13, features dramatic photography employing innovative techniques by Berner, a 1961 Tamaqua High School graduate and professor emeritus of journalism and American studies at Penn State University."There are 20 images here from all over the world," Berner said.Opening night also featured a slide presentation of 1950s and early '60s Tamaqua images, the first taken by Berner before leaving the community for military service and college.Six decades"Sixty years ago I got my first camera," Berner said. He thinks it was a Brownie, an inexpensive unit of the day made by Eastman Kodak.Some of his first images depict happy faces of a 1954 school trip to Valley Forge and casual scenes at the Tamaqua S & A Restaurant and East End Playground. Other scenes show the town's 1957 Indian celebration, and slice-of-life scenes such as youths riding 1960s-era balloon-tire bikes. A winter scene shows the Berner family's classic 1948 Fluid Drive DeSoto parked on Arlington Street and covered in snow.Berner's artist's statement reflects thoughts by a humble man who refrains from calling himself an artist."I'm OK calling myself a writer, but I am reluctant to call myself an artist. To me, an artist is someone who creates something out of his or her imagination. My wife, for example, makes beautiful paintings on her iPad. She's an artist," he said."I, on the other hand, point my camera at something that I find attractive and click the shutter. I do some manipulation in Photoshop, and the result is usually pleasing to the eye, at least to my eye," he says. Still, he was excited about the show's debut, which drew a strong crowd."This is my first big show and I'm happy it's taking place in Tamaqua," he said.Berner is proud of his Tamaqua roots. And he's as much a native Tamaquan as anybody who ever lived in the Schuylkill County town, even though he happened to be born in Harrisburg."When I say I'm going home, this is what I mean, Tamaqua," said the Bellefonte resident.He told attendees that Tamaqua was a special place to spend one's youth."One of the best things about growing up in Tamaqua was the places you could go to play."He spoke of a community that features playgrounds and parks in all parts of town. No matter where one lives in Tamaqua limits, there's a park within walking distance.Berner wrote for the Blue and White, the high school newspaper, and took a job with the Tamaqua Evening Courier, the small-town daily which also employed novelist John O'Hara.Berner went on to a career in the Navy, stationed in Morocco. He visited most European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.Afterward, the GI Bill provided him an opportunity to finish college.Berner earned a bachelor's in English and a master's in journalism at Penn State, teaching for 28 years before retiring in 2003.Always a traveler, he received two Fulbright lectureships to teach in China. His trips inspired creativity, an asset he shares with his wife, Paulette, a native of West Hazleton. The two have self-published books about Tuscany and Cuba under their Pixels and Bristles imprint.Rave reviewsBerner's lens work, much of it done with a Nikon 7000 and polarizing filter, has been drawing rave reviews from art critics."I like the one called Amish school bus," said Leona Rega of Tamaqua. "That one speaks to me."Artist Jeff Rimm of Tamaqua picked out several favorites."The one called Arboretum Pond looks like a fantasy painting," Rimm said.Artist Kyle Whitley of Tamaqua took to a picture titled "Industrial Long View," taken at the abandoned Cerro Metal Products, a Bellefonte plant dating to 1915."I love industrial," Whitely said. "It's eerie."Art lover Jeanmarie Novack, a Las Vegas native now living in Tamaqua, was drawn to a Grand Canyon picture."That's exactly how it looks," she said. "So beautiful."Novack is an arts lover who paints and writes poetry. She is particularly drawn to scenes depicting natural beauty, or "whatever catches my interest." Berner's work, she said, piqued her curiosity.Some of the photos depict scenes in Cuba, China, New Mexico and West Virginia.A local favorite, an image showing the front door of Tamaqua's 1874 Philadelphia & Reading Railroad passenger depot, is being sold via silent auction.Among the admirers were some of Berner's schoolmates, including Ray Zaldaris of Hometown and his wife, the former Bethanne Barron. Both said they enjoyed Berner's strikingly unique style.All of the images are for sale at $200 each. The event is intended to support today's youth through proceeds donated to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center, Blue Raider Foundation and the Tamaqua Public Library.Comments were provided by Bob Miller, foundation president, and Debbie Comisac Yuskauskas, who offered details of Berner's background.The exhibit is on display at 124 Pine St. until April 13 and also will be featured in the Schuylkill County Spring Thaw Arts & Culture Tour set for April 10, 11 and 12.For more information, 570-668-1192