When attending an event at Kent State University, one phrase is repeated almost as many times as “Go Flashes!”
Whether you’re at a commencement ceremony, a sporting event or a guest lecture on campus, you will likely hear, “Hi, Bob!”
That would be Bob Christy, Kent State’s senior photography coordinator, of Green, Ohio. The Jeep-loving, hoverboard-riding, Jeff Bridges lookalike (Google “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski”) and longtime Kent State employee is a fixture on campus, covering events and capturing moments that showcase the university experience.
Serving under four university presidents, Christy is a witness to Kent State history. His photos document the university's people, places and points in time.
Get to know Christy as Kent State Today takes a closer look at the man behind the camera and features his favorite photos.
Family and Love of Photography
Christy grew up in the Kenmore section of south Akron, Ohio. His interest in photography began when he was “a wee lad of 13,” he said with a chuckle.
“My granddad was like a hobby photographer,” Christy said. “He lived in Pittsburgh. My dad would tell stories about them film developing in the kitchen and making prints. So, my granddad had all of these cameras. I was 13 when he died. My dad brought these cameras home. My dad showed me a little bit how to use them, and then I went from there, taught myself more about them, taught myself how to develop film, taught myself how to make prints and things like that using these old film cameras from the 1940s.”
After high school, Christy joined the U.S. Air Force.
“I knew I wanted to be a photographer, but I didn’t know how to be that, so I joined the military and spent almost six years in the military,” he said.
He worked as an aircraft munitions maintenance specialist, loading weapons onto military fighter bomber planes for practice bombing runs. His service with the Air Force took him across the U.S. – to New Hampshire, Michigan, New Mexico and Nevada – and around the world – to the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. During his time in the military, Christy also worked at newspapers as a part-time photographer.
He left the military in 1990 and began his college career as a Golden Flash.
Hello Kent State
When Christy began his studies at Kent State, he spent most of his time at Taylor Hall, which was home to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (now called the School of Media and Journalism based in Franklin Hall). He got to know Gary Harwood and Jeff Glidden, both photographers with University Communications and Marketing and who had an office in Taylor Hall. In spring 1995, Christy earned his bachelor’s in photojournalism.
Following graduation, Christy worked as a photographer at a small newspaper in Laconia, New Hampshire, and for United Press International covering politics and the New Hampshire primary. Afterward, he was a photographer for The Times-Reporter in New Philadelphia, Ohio.
When a position for a university photographer opened in 2000, Christy applied and got an interview, meeting with members from University Communications and Marketing, including Harwood. A few months later, Christy was offered the job. He started working for Kent State in December 2000 alongside Harwood and Glidden.
‘A Pretty Cool Gig’
While based on the Kent Campus, Christy has taken photos at all seven Regional Campuses. He has traveled to Washington, D.C., and New York City to photograph Kent State programs. Recently, he had the opportunity to visit university programs in Florence, Italy; Paris, France; Curitiba, Brazil; and Kigali, Rwanda.
“It’s a pretty cool gig,” Christy said. “I’ve flown on the Goodyear Blimp a couple of times, was on a research ship, and gone to Europe and Brazil. I meet a lot of people, like filmmakers and politicians.
“It’s a pretty interesting career. It’s not as lucrative as other careers, but what you get out of it is more than that. You get a lot of really cool experiences you cannot even pay for, honestly. You can’t buy a ride on the Goodyear Blimp, so you have to do something to get on that blimp, and I’ve been there twice.”
Working for the university has provided many special moments and events, but Christy’s most memorable experience occurred away from campus when he spent a week on a 90-foot research ship that made two loops around Lake Erie as he photographed the crew's water research.
“I had to get on board as research crew because they didn’t have space for a photographer,” Christy said. “They were studying oxygenation levels because of the zebra mussels in the lake. They would send this rig down and pull different water samples from different water levels of the lake.
"I would filter those water samples and store them a certain way for further research, and then I would take pictures too. I had cameras right there. If something was going on, I jumped out and took pictures. It was the only way I could get on the ship.”
Christy has also traveled with various Kent State athletic teams for big contests, including football bowl games and Mid-American Conference championships for several sports. He likes that he works for his alma mater, noting that some of the people he graduated with are now university professors. Additionally, some of his former journalism professors, though retired, are still roaming the halls of Franklin Hall, like Carl Schierhorn and Barb Hipsman Springer.
Christy also loves photographing an event that happens on campus three times each year.
“I love Commencement,” he said. “Much like the president [Todd Diacon] says, it’s the happiest day there is on campus. I love Commencement because I get to see students I run across over their time here and see them succeed, or students who worked for me, I get to watch them graduate and then move on to successful careers.”
A Picture Speaking a Thousand Words
When on assignment, Christy looks to surpass what was requested.
“I like shooting events and once I wrap up the necessary things to just look on the perimeters of what’s going on – to see these little moments that you get that aren’t even necessarily marketing stuff for the university,” Christy said. “But they go out on social media, they touch little heartstrings of people who have gone here and they say, ‘Hey, this place is still beautiful. It’s even more beautiful than it used to be. God, look at that building. I spent so much time in that building.’ Or ‘Hey, I know that person. I remember them.’”
One of Christy’s favorite photos was taken when he was looking at the perimeters. In 2016, the May 4 Task Force student organization invited Samaria Rice, the mother of the late Tamir Rice, to be the keynote speaker of the 46th annual May 4 Commemoration. While covering the annual commemoration, he captured a sweet moment between Bill Buckbee, now retired Kent State assistant chief of police, and a little girl.
“There were probably 50 people with cameras there, and everyone’s over shooting pictures of the woman [Samaria Rice] speaking,” Christy said. “I had already gotten those photos. I walked behind some bleachers and behind a tent. There’s Bill Buckbee, and this little, little African American girl is giving him little flowers that she pulled, like dandelions. And he’s taking them and putting them in his pocket. Clearly, he’s a cop. You can see that he’s got a gun on underneath his suit. So, it’s just people being people. And Bill told me later, ‘I didn’t even know you took that photo.’ I was 20 feet from him. But he was so concentrated on this little girl and what she was doing that he didn’t even notice me.
“So as far as I know, I was the only person who shot that photo,” he continued. “I love shooting things like that. These little things – connections between people – matter in photos, in my opinion, because how a compelling photo can speak a thousand words. That’s what you’re looking for.”
Passion for Sharing Knowledge
Christy’s love of photography extends to sharing what he knows with student photographers. During Christy’s time with Kent State, students have always worked for the photo team.
Christy said he has watched students “go from being a little naïve and not quite confident of their talents and building talents into someone you can trust to say, ‘Hey, go shoot this for me’ and ‘We trust that you’re going to do it correctly because we’ve taught you that.’”
Greta Bell of Beaver, Pennsylvania, is one such former student. She worked as a student photographer for Christy during her four years at Kent State. After graduating this past spring, she now works as a university photographer at Purdue University.
Christy trusted Bell to work on new photos for university billboards. Bell came up with the concept, determined the shooting times, took the photos and passed them off to the graphic designers, who then used Bell’s photos for the billboards.
For Bell, working with Christy left quite an impression.
“Bob has been the most impactful person I have met while studying here at Kent State,” Bell said. “From the moment we met at my interview for this job, he was always including me in everything. This means I get to learn every single day that I’m around him, and he’s always willing to take the time to answer my questions and explain more in-depth.
“I genuinely enjoy coming to work every day, and a big part of the reason why is because of Bob,” she said before graduating. “And I think a lot of other people all around the university would say the same. Bob seems to not only know everyone but is loved by everyone! Kent State is so lucky to have such a talented photographer and amazing person working here.”
Aaron Self, a native of Copley, Ohio, who worked for Christy and graduated from Kent State in 2018, currently serves as coordinator of photography and video at Baldwin Wallace University. Self credits Christy for giving him firsthand experience in lighting on location, which Self uses all the time as a professional. Self stays in touch with Christy and can even spot Christy’s work.
“About a year ago, I was walking in the Cleveland airport, and I saw this massive image of Kent State students in a circle throwing their hats in the air from the perspective of inside their circle looking up,” Self said. “My first thought was that had to have been Bob’s picture. So, I texted him a pic of the wall, asked if it was his, and I should have bet money on that because I was right. I had never seen that picture before, but you could just tell he had made it.”
Christy said the ability to have confidence in students is wonderful. He likes to connect with new student photographers as freshmen and “build them up to the point where they’re able to go get a university job somewhere after they’ve graduated,” Christy explained. It’s a paycheck for students, he said, but they also get access to all the equipment and knowledge that the university photographers have spent years building up.
“I have a whole list of students who text me all the time to wish me a happy birthday or tell me, ‘Hey, I got this job’ or ‘Hey, I’m doing this,’ and that’s a good feeling,” Christy said. “Even for the limited amount I’m exposed to students, I just love to watch them succeed. It’s really a rewarding thing. And I could see how a professor feels whenever they see that kind of thing happen.”
Christy’s passion for sharing his expertise and joy of seeing students succeed inspired him to take on a new challenge.
“That’s why I went and got a master’s degree because I loved watching the students blossom over the course of their time here,” said Christy, who earned his master’s in journalism education in fall 2022.
“I’d like to teach serious photo students,” he said. “I’d like to teach kids who are really into it [photography] because I think I can take what I know and hopefully get them to know those things too. I’m going to pass that knowledge on and maybe even I’d like to try to start a class where students go out with me on jobs. They see how I’m doing things. I’ll let them shoot whatever. And then we get back and critique, ‘OK, how could you have done this better? Hey, look, this guy over here got this photo. How come you didn’t see that kind of thing?’ So that’s a possibility.”
This fall, Christy is teaching the Production Fundamentals course in the School of Media and Journalism two nights per week and a weekly Flashes 101 new student orientation course in addition to his current job until “such time that photography has stolen every joint in my body,” he explained.
Christy’s Nikon D5 camera weighs about 5 pounds. When photographing football games, he carries two cameras and a 15-pound lens, toting around 25 pounds of gear.
“It’s physically hard on you with the gear you’re carrying around and being on your feet all the time with that gear,” he said. “A lot of photographers have knee problems, elbow problems and back problems.”
‘One of the Best’
In addition to students, Christy’s co-workers have positive things to say about him, including Bob Louis, who leads the Creative Team and oversees Christy.
“Having worked with many photographers over the years, I can truly say that Bob Christy is one of the best,” Louis said. “His ability to see, compose and capture great photos is rare. Bob loves photography and also loves to mentor co-workers and students. The students who come through our department gain so much knowledge and skill because of Bob’s mentoring and willingness to share his craft.”
Taking Pictures for a Living
“I love the people,” Christy said. “I love the students. I get to take pictures for a living. I love doing that. I get to experience things. I get to go to football games. I really, really like it here, and that is why I’m still here. And photography jobs don’t grow on trees.”
Working for a university has provided many opportunities for Christy, and he recommends others to work at one.
“If you want to experience a slice of the world, I always say come to a university because we have people from every corner of the world here, and they’re always willing to share what it is about them or their country that makes their country special,” he said. “It’s very cool to be able to just walk down the street and meet someone from anywhere. I’ve made so many good friends here by just working here. It’s just a remarkable place.”
If you see him, be sure to say, “Hi, Bob.”
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Top Photo Caption:
Bob Christy, Kent State’s senior photography coordinator, holds his camera while covering Spring 2022 Commencement. (Photo by Rami Daud)