CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Pat and Dorothy Apgar’s two sons, John and Tom, at a very young age.

In anticipation of the Apgar Family Water Plaza opening on June 6 at 11 a.m. in the Linn Creek District, this is part one of the second of three articles documenting the legacy of the Apgar Family in Marshalltown.

For three generations the family documented, and therefore preserved, key moments in the lives of individuals and the community itself. Through Tom Apgar’s extraordinarily generous gift, the Apgar name will continue to be associated with memory making moments and community pride.

As stated in the first article, in 1947, Ross Patton ‘Pat’ Apgar was welcomed to join the family photography business by his father R.E.; begun in 1911 when R.E. purchased an existing photography business in Marshalltown.

Pat then married the love of his life, Dorothy Briles in 1948. Once Pat was honorably discharged from military service, in 1952, he and Dorothy purchased some land, built a house, and started their family, welcoming their first-born John, in 1953, and then Tom in 1955.

In addition to focusing on his family, Pat also put considerable energy towards growing the family business into a full-service portrait and commercial photography studio. In addition to expanding the customer base, and services offered, Pat improved and grew the physical space within which the business was housed. Drawing up the schematics himself, he moved the studio from the second floor to street level, added a dark room, and hired more staff. The new Apgar studio officially opened in 1955. Prior to color film and prints, black and white film capture was the standard, but Pat offered his customers a top tier and unique option; that of tinted colored oil photographs. He had a staff of 12, sometimes more, ‘oil-colorist ladies’, who would, with instruction from Dorothy, add pigments to the photographs to highlight the eye, hair and clothing colors of the sitters. As artist oil pigments do not fade, these photographs look as good today as when created. This new and improved space, and expanded services, became that which most readers will remember.

Beyond the photo studio, Pat and Dorothy, each in their own way, contributed greatly to the richness and history of Marshalltown, and it’s important to know a bit of them as individuals to fully appreciate the dynamism that emerged when they joined.

A lifelong Marshalltonian, Ross Patton “Pat” Apgar was born on May 29, 1922, in Marshalltown to Ross Edward and Emma Apgar. Older sister Mary welcomed the arrival of Pat and his twin sister, Patricia, on that day.

According to his son Tom, Pat was ‘a typical rough and tough kid’. He was active- liked moving his body; making things happen. His interests grew as did he, and he participated in drama, journalism, football, and marching band. His first passion was baton twirling, in which he achieved individual National Superior ratings in 1938, 1939, and 1940. He hitchhiked to competitions in Omaha, Mason City (Meredith Wilson Festival), Minneapolis, and Soldier Field, Chicago, to perform in front of 85,000 spectators. He was the first person in the country to twirl three batons at the same time. After graduating from MHS high in 1940 he enrolled at Iowa State College in Ames, where he was a drum major and baton twirler and led the marching band for four years. He also, as previously noted, served our country in multiple deployments, each with a critical mission.

Pat’s favorite sport was volleyball; a sport in which he actively participated well into his 60’s. He was always recruiting and encouraging new players to the sport; even getting Tom’s generation to be enthusiastic and involved with it. The Apgar Volleyball Club, started in the winter 1985, was sponsored yearly by Pat and Tom. For 32 years, the Apgar Volleyball Club positively impacted those who took part in the lessons and competitions. Pat helped fund new volleyball court equipment at MHS, Miller M.S., Community College & the YMCA. And, in 2001, MHS named the annual invitational tournament in his honor.

As a photographer, Pat twice received the Medlar Award for the best portrait of the Year in Iowa, judged by other professionals. He achieved Prof. Photog. of America awards of Certified Prof. Photog. in 1956, Master of Photography in 1956, and Photographic Craftsman in 1960.

Pat served on many boards and was a lifetime member of Elmwood, the son of a charter lifetime member. He was proud to be a Rotarian for 72 years, the son of a founding member.

Beyond Pat’s tenacity and business acumen, his talent behind the camera coupled with his passion for Marshalltown, made it possible for many generations to remember, revisit and honor, key moments in individual, family and civic history.

Ross Patton “Pat” Apgar passed away on April 25, 2019, at 96 years old, with memorials directed to The Apgar Family Fund, through the Community Foundation of Marshall County. Even in his passing, he remembered his community. He is interred at the Apgar Family burial plot at Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown. To read the full articles visit: https://artsandculturealliance.org/portfolio/apgar-family-water-plaza/.

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Nancy Jeanne Adams is a local artist based in Marshalltown.