The popular statue of former Gov. Tom McCall, in Salem’s Riverfront Park, has become a photo destination after getting a pandemic update. The statue of McCall, with a fly rod in one hand, and a steelhead in the other, has attracted throngs of photographers after someone placed a personal protective mask over the face of the statue (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Photographer Ron Cooper and his wife Penny moved to Salem in 1969 to take a job as photographer at the Oregon Statesman (later the Statesman Journal). Their three children, Monica, Kimberly, and Christopher, attended and graduated from Salem public schools. Cooper retired from the Statesman Journal in 2001 but, has continued his passion for photography in many ways, including as a photographer for the Salem Reporter.
