Photo book is labor of love

It is a sad fact that the scenic beauty of Southern Illinois is one of the best-kept secrets anywhere. All that will change, if lifelong area resident Ned Trovillion has anything to say about it. The Vienna resident, who has been taking photos in the area nearly 60 years, has come up with a magnificent coffee-table book of beautiful color photos of the region.

Ned's great-grandfather helped settle the area in the 1850s, on land granted to him in recognition of his service in the Mexican War. His father, Paul, was educated at the University of Illinois after serving in World War I, and became active in civic affairs. His mother, Marian, was active, too. The family's love for the countryside is apparent in Ned's book, "Southern Illinois—A Photographer's Love for the Countryside and its Beauty."

In 1936, when the Great Depression was at its worst, a new magazine came out. Dealing mostly in large, well-executed photos, Life magazine was destined to exert a strong influence on Ned, who was in high school. An aunt, who was a freelance writer and charter subscriber to the magazine, passed her copies on to Ned, who studied them carefully.

He bought a mail-order camera that year, for $12.95, shocking neighbors who thought his parents were insane for letting their son waste that much money on a frivolous toy.

8 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING NOVEMBER 1996

A year later, he recorded the flood of 1937, and many of his photos were published in the high school yearbook, too.

In 1938, he got his first airplane ride, enjoying the sights of Southern Illinois from a Ford Trimotor, one of the earliest serious airliners. He photographed the University of Illinois campus on that flight.

His book includes a photo, taken years later, of the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale campus. Several other aerial photos are reproduced in his book.

In one of his summer jobs during his university studies, Ned got involved with SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative, of which he is still a member. "After my first year at the university," he says, "I worked the summer of 1939 as instrument man surveying the lines for construction in several SEIEC counties. Then after the lines were energized, I worked in the co-op office at Harrisburg, drawing up plans and materials lists to support requests for Rural Electrification Administration (REA) add-on construction."

It was also about that time that he met his wife-to-be, Jan, at a youth chorus meeting in Golconda.

Ned notes that the Trovillions were one of the first families in their area to install electric heat, and that the system is still in good shape, after almost 40 years.

Like many young men, Ned found his studies interrupted by World War II. As was traditional in the family, he served. Much of his service

NOVEMBER 1996 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 9

was in the China-Burma-India theatre, where he applied his free time to taking pictures. After the war, both he and Jan got back into the university. After graduating, Ned became an ag teacher in Pope County. They both took graduate degrees at SIU-C, and Ned settled into a 30-year career with the U. S. Soil Conservation Service, working out of Vienna. During all those years, Ned kept busy with his photographs, noting the play of light and shadow on the various textures during different times of the year—and recording the images on film.

"I never took any formal training," he says, "but you can learn a lot if you pay careful attention to lighting and texture, and if you make it a point to shoot some of your photos in lighting that differs from the old midday sunlight stuff."

As time went by, he began dipping into his slide collection, now numbering over 200,000 images, to give slide shows to area groups. He also "rents out" slides to people who need first-rate southern Illinois photos for their publications. His fee is negotiable, and he's been known to donate the use of slides for a good cause. Even so, he tries to make the enterprise pay off a little, and his books are part of that effort.

"The people at Cache Creek Press in Vienna approached me and suggested that I put together a photo book," Ned says, "and I thought it'd be a good idea. It took me a long time to sort through all my slides for a good representation of Southern Illinois scenery during different times of the year, but I'm really pleased with the results, and I've received letters from people all over the country who enjoyed the book very much.

"It's interesting that some were former area residents, while others had never been to this part of the country, but were just impressed by the scenery depicted in my photos."

Not surprisingly, many of the books have been given as gifts, and Ned notes that he is offering quantity discounts on his books to encourage Christmas gift-giving. "I have both hard-bound and soft-bound books," he says, "and either would make an ideal gift for either a 'displaced' Southern Illinoisan, or someone who just appreciates beautiful scenery. My quantity discount is a great way to simplify Christmas gift giving."

Those interested in obtaining copies of "Southern Illinois—A Photographer's Love for the Countryside and its Beauty," can reach Ned at P.O. Box 586, Vienna, IL 62995. His telephone number is (618) 658-4881.

10 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING NOVEMBER 1996