Photographs of presidents, civil rights figures, Atlanta structural and cultural landmarks, all make up the portfolio of Charles Rafshoon.
Through his work, many are able to recall significant moments in their lives, said former President Jimmy Carter.
“His photos of my early political life and the 1976 campaign are classics and have laid the foundation for the graphic history of which he was an important part,” he said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Rafshoon, who earned a history degree from Brooklyn College, didn’t set out to be a photographer, but it was something he discovered he did have a talent for, and he made a career out of it, said his brother Gerald “Jerry” Rafshoon, of Washington.
“Not everyone can become a talented photographer,” Jerry Rafshoon said of his brother. “But this was something he did very well.”
Charles Maurice Rafshoon, of Atlanta, died Thursday at Hospice Atlanta, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 86. A funeral was held Sunday at The Temple, followed by burial at Crestlawn Memorial Cemetery.
The Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Rafshoon enlisted in the Air Force in 1943 when he was 17. He was honorably discharged in 1949 with the rank of sergeant, and two years later he married the former Charlotte Goodman. The couple had two sons and they celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in June.
Rafshoon finished college in 1955 and in 1957, his younger brother, who was in the Navy, came home for a visit and brought gifts.
“I gave him a camera,” Jerry Rafshoon said. “It seemed like a good gift, but in hindsight it was more than that.”
What started as a hobby for Charles Rafshoon turned into something more when he went from taking portraits for law firms in New York to photographing the arts scene for the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the national touring company of the Metropolitan Opera, who were among his clients.
“These were the things he really loved,” said his son, H. Philip Rafshoon. “He was always immersed in the arts and culture.”
Charles Rafshoon came to Atlanta in 1967 on the advice of his brother, who was in marketing. The brothers worked together on several occasions, including the winning gubernatorial and presidential campaigns of Carter.
“He was there for the 1970 gubernatorial campaign, which we won, and he was there for the first presidential campaign, but not the re-election campaign, which we lost,” said Jerry Rafshoon, who had worked for Carter from the gubernatorial race through the two presidential campaigns. “The record shows, without Charles, I couldn’t win a campaign,” he added with a laugh.
After serving as the official photographer for the campaigns of Carter and former Gov. George Busbee, Charles Rafshoon worked for the Alliance Theater, and the Jewish Times.
“He was proud of his work and that he was able to document and illustrate the passions and challenges of his subjects,” his son said.
In addition to his wife, son and brother, Rafshoon is survived by a second son, Lawrence Rafshoon of Atlanta; and two grandsons.
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