Willard Bartlett, III

Self Portrait

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri., the oldest of 4 Bartlett siblings. Over the years I’ve come to believe that St. Louis is the world’s largest village. No matter where I am, if I meet someone who is from St. Louis I can usually establish a connection to someone we know in common. The classic question I usually ask is “Where did you go to high school?” It always leads to familiar territory.

I went to St. Louis Country Day School, an all boys prep school in those days, where I stood out without being outstanding. My enduring interests in hunting and fishing and the outdoors were developed in Minnesota, and Michigan, where I also began sailing on Lake Michigan.

I attended Brown University in Rhode Island, where I still hold the record for the length of time between matriculation and graduation - 11 years in all. I kept dropping out but I always saw my education as unfinished business. So I kept going back, eventually earning a degree in classics: Greek and Roman civilization, literature, history, and their effect on Western history and culture.

Outside of school I served in the U.S. Coast Guard, worked in an advertising agency as a copy writer, and managed public relations campaigns. Then I went into the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer in Uganda, starting off as a teacher in secondary school and eventually became a local game warden. After leaving the Peace Corps, I worked for a short time as a professional hunter, leading safaris, and returning to the U.S. just before the infamous Idi Amin seized power. 

At the St. Louis Zoo, I was the last head keeper in the Lion House before becoming director of development for the Zoo, raising the funds for the Big Cat Country facility. I spent a few years doing writing and consulting, before I crashed and burned from alcoholism. After going through treatment, I decided to return in some way to my medical heritage. Since I came from generations of accomplished doctors. it seemed fitting for me to become certified as a substance abuse counselor, working for 20 years at a hospital-based treatment center.

Twenty years ago, a friend moved from St. Louis to Portland, and when visiting, I discovered Camp Sherman. The minute I drove over that bridge, I had one of those Joseph Smith moments, and I said: “This is the place.” I knew this was home, and I’ve been spending summers here for 18 years. I go home to St. Louis, then spend winters in Key West.

I’ve been a photographer, on-and-off, all of my life, but this is my last road. It’s my creative outlet. It’s how I grasp the deep significance and beauty of God’s creation.