Press Photographers Association honors longtime LW resident

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

The Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles (PPAGLA) recently awarded Joanna Matos, 92, the Lifetime Achievement Award, the group’s highest honor. Founded in 1936, the organization comprises over 400 broadcast and print photojournalists whose news images are seen worldwide. Matos had a humble beginning as the only staff photographer at the La Habra Daily Star Progress (1971) and became a PPAGLA member in 1976. A true trendsetter, she broke the glass ceiling decades before the term was even coined, becoming the first woman vice president (1978), president (1979) and chairman (1980).

She was the first woman allowed in the Anaheim Angel’s locker room when Nolan Ryan threw a no-hitter. She wasn’t really “allowed”—she just went in with the male photographers, doing her job.

“My sports editor assigned me to cover an evening Angels baseball game at Anaheim Stadium,” said Matos. “In the 1970s, we used only black and white film and with the low and irregular lighting at stadiums, I had to “push” my 400 speed film to 1600 in the darkroom. “The big event was to shoot pitcher Nolan Ryan throwing his fast ball, which was being monitored by Rockwell International. I remember his speed—107 miles per hour. After the game, the media crowded around Ryan with radio questions and cameras whirling. “Ryan got word that Gene wanted to see him. Gene was Gene Autry, owner of the Angels and of Channel 5 KTLA. All the media followed Ryan down a long tunnel to a room where Autry extended his hand in congratulations.

Joanna Matos, pictured here in the 1970s, was a trail blazer in the world of press photography. “My motorized Nikon camera could shoot nine pictures in four seconds. I used a 36 frame roll of film of the same handshake.

“Hooting and hollering began, and someone said, ‘What’s that gal doing in here?’ The Angels’ PR man came over and asked me if I got my assignment and asked me to follow him, not looking left or right, up to the media lounge for a drink. He said I was a pro. I was the first female in the locker room, and he had no qualms about the situation.”

“All bleep bleep broke loose. The next day, there was an LA Times Sports column. Hate mail from male chauvinists came in. But my editor said, ‘Good girl. This is the most publicity our newspaper has received.’ “The LA Times sent a reporter out to interview me and, long story short, when she asked why I did what I did, I said, ‘I wasn’t there to play peek a boo, I was on assignment, the same as the men photographers! And, after all, I know what the male anatomy looks like, I raised two sons.’ A nice photo and a fourinch column story appeared in the LA Times of me in the most professional way.

“Soon after, I received an 8xl0 glossy black and white photo of Nolan Ryan and Gene Autry with their autographs. Ryan signed ‘Peek a boo, Joanna.’ Autry signed ‘All my best.’” “At the next home game, during the 7th inning stretch, up in the media box, I was awarded a first female in the locker room certificate plus a fancy black satin eye shade with lots of applause from my fellow shooters.” Matos was also one of the first women photojournalists to cover USC football. At the USC vs. Notre Dame football game, quarterback Pat Hayden couldn’t find a receiver and ran off the sidelines. He missed the male photographers but broadsided Matos. Hayden helped her up and apologized. The coliseum announcer publicly voiced his opinion saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s why women should not be allowed on the field.”

He could not have been more wrong.

Later in her career, Matos joined the PPAGLA and quickly rose to become the organization’s first female president in 1979. Mayor Tom Bradley attended her installation dinner, and she was interviewed by newscaster Johnny Grant of KTLA and UPI’s Ernie Sch work about what it was like to be at the helm of an all men’s organization.

Matos later went to work as the media photojournalist for Knott’s Berry Farm and retired in 1990.

She brings an infectious enthusiasm to everything she does for the PPAGLA and her passion for the group continues. She was a key factor for the success of the Past Presidents and Retired Members Scholarship Fund, which she helped initiate over 30 years ago. When Matos was asking for contributions for the scholarship fund, members just couldn’t say no.

Through her humble and professional demeanor, Matos paved the way for future female photojournalists. “Joanna has been an inspiration to me and the other women in our group. There are still very few of us, but Joanna paved the way and helped make it possible. Giving her the Lifetime Achievement Award was the highlight of my presidency,” said outgoing PPAGLA President Amy Gaskin.

“She is a shining example of class, determination, kindness, and professionalism and she embodies the spirit of this award.”

— Amy Gaskin, outgoing president of the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles