We had a great time making portraits of Dr. Richie-Melvan for a cover of the alumni magazine of her alma mater. She is remembered at Wagner College as the school’s first black homecoming queen, elected in 1971. Now as a retired Army Col., who has served as a White House Fellow, she is working on a book about army nurses.

We met her at a park in Inverness, FL just after sunrise and took advantage of a cool morning photographing her in her military uniform lakeside. She then invited us to her home to capture her in a more relaxed atmosphere. A tribute to her accomplishments are the many photos taken of her with US presidents adorning the walls of her office. We can’t wait to see what this amazing woman does next.

Wagner grads can check out the full story in the fall 2009 issue, the rest of us can watch for it here.

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