Gallery Displaying Work of Sharon's Own Renaissance Man

By Paige McAtee

The photography of Henry W. Kendall (1926-1999), includes more than 25,000 images that span nearly 50 years. The man behind the lens was a distinguished physicist, environmental activist, expert mountaineer, diver, pilot, and archeologist.

Sharon residents will be able to see his work at Lakeside Gallery in Sharon Adult Center, 219 Massapoag Avenue, starting Monday, August 11. The opening reception will be held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. The gallery will stay open until Wednesday, Oct. 1.

The collection will feature images from his his many world-wide adventures including sailing, scuba and deep sea diving, mountain climbing expeditions, and underwater archaeology, says the Sharon Adult Center.

The exhibit should be of special interest to people in the area, as well as those who have similar interests to Kendall, says Sharon Adult Center Executive Director, Norma Simons Fitzgerald. “It’s very exciting and I hope as many people as possible can see the show,” she commented.

Kendall was a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990, a physics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and co-founder and leader of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

He grew up in Sharon on Moose Hill Farm. Despite his many travels and adventures, Kendall continued to reside in Sharon for most of his adult life.

Photography was a hobby of his from an early age. He studied photography at Deerfield Academy in the 1940s and was seldom without a camera, even on the National Geographic diving expedition to explore Florida’s underwater caves, where he died in 1999.

Gallery Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday. The gallery is sponsored by the Norfolk Charitable Trust Archive.