In Memory of Virgil Souder

- Virgil Souder on the deck of the Anderson Ferry in 2009.

Late Tuesday night I received an email that a worker at the Anderson Ferry had died after falling into the Ohio River. I was saddened when I read the name: Virgil Souder. Immediately I recognized it. I had met Virgil back in 2009 while documenting the ferry for several days. Virgil had been kind enough to let me interview him, telling me about his days as a riverboat pilot and how he was now working as a deck hand. He had been part of the ferry crew for decades. Soft spoken, quiet and kind - I only talked to Virgil for the couple of days I was there, but his image will always be engrained in one of my favorite photographs from that story, the image seen above. The folks working the ferry are great people and I'm sorry to hear of their loss - have a good thought for both them and Virgil. I'll always remember him when I take the ferry across the river. 

A short interview with Virgil and other crew members from 2009 can be heard in a multimedia piece I made, here: Take a Ride on the Anderson Ferry

- Virgil working at the ferry back in 2009.