McCreven more than a photographer

By Josh LaBella

Voice Reporter

Russ McCreven has been a fixture in the community for decades. For some he’s been a photographer for various sporting and civic events. But for many he was their former teacher and head of the Social Studies Dept. at West Haven High School. Working there for 35 years before his retirement, McCreven’s name has been found as a photo credit in city publications going back to the 1970s.

McCreven said he has always had an interest in youth sports and got his start at the newspaper writing pieces for the sports section. At the time, he said he had no interest in photography. But an old friend, the late Bob Tingley, who was sports editor of the old West Haven City News kept trying to get him involved.

“The first print I ever did was Jon Capone – the (current) athletic director,” said McCreven. “Although at the time he was a senior on the baseball team. They went on to win a state championship that year (1973).”

A “stringer” for the City News and the New Haven Register, when it was on Orange Street in the Elm City, McCreven covered the high school hockey triple-headers at the New Haven Arena (just across the street from the paper), and write up the games for the Sunday and Wednesday aedition.

He was also the announcer at the Arena games, and became the “Voice of West Haven hockey” for more than 20 years at the Edward L. Bennett Rink, and covered the games at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum. But photography quickly became his forte – but now without a lot of trial and error.

He said while his original photos were not great, he has been doing ever since. According to McCreven, he learned and improved his photography through practice, books on the topic, and talking to other photographers.

He also held the position of sports editor for the West Haven News (the name changed when the Milford Citizen bought the paper) for about a decade after Tingley passed away suddenly in 1984. Tingley, like McCreven was a teacher, and did a stint as the city’s Park-Rec Director. He became the sports editor of the City News when Bob Joyce bought the Town Crier and revamped the periodical. That was 1971.

“He was a very good friend of mine,” said McCreven. “For anyone who liked sports, he was the main man.”

While McCreven is still a photographer for various publications, his main job was as the head of the Social Studies Department at the high school. He said he started teaching there in 1961, and got the promotion three years later.

“There were very few people applying for the job because, supposedly, it was a pain in the neck,” said McCreven. “It turned out to be true some extent.”

Being able to see the students as athletes and as scholars have him a unique perspective when writing his weekly sports stories, he said. McCreven said he enjoyed both jobs and that made them easy to do.

“I got along with the kids and the kids got along with me,” said McCreven. “I would say the 35 years that I taught were very noteworthy. I rarely ran into kids I did not like.”

After retiring in 1996, McCreven focused on his work at the News and the nascent West Haven Voice. He said he likes it because it keeps him occupied and he finds having a deadline each week mentally beneficial.

His wife, Ann, passed away about a decade ago, and it was decided he would leave the home they made and live in a nearby condominium, where he has been ever since. His three children still keep tabs on him, making sure he has what he needs, but they need not worry about him being active. He still can be seen on his bike, or walking around the neighborhood.

McCreven, a Westie, lives about five blocks from the house he was raised in. He said he has enjoyed his life here immensely.

“If I could do it all over again – I would,” said McCreven.