Veteran photographer, firefighter Jack Putignano dies
A veteran news photographer, whose images of major fires and accident scenes turned up in suburban newspapers, WGN-TV, and even national media outlets, has died.
Jack Putignano drew on his years of experience as a fireman and deputy fire chief with the Bartlett Fire Protection District when he shot images from inside a fire or accident scene.
“If he wasn't fighting fires in Bartlett, he was out shooting them,” Bartlett Fire Battalion Chief Dave Misner said. “He loved it that much.”
Mr. Putignano passed away on Sunday. A resident of Bartlett for nearly 50 years, he was 86.
“He always showed up,” former Daily Herald photography editor Dave Tonge said. “If a fire or accident happened at 2 a.m., he'd be there and he'd offer it to us in the morning.”
Bill O'Neill, a colleague and fellow freelance news photographer, said Mr. Putignano had one quality that set him apart from other shooters trying to cover a breaking story: access.
“Everyone out here knew him,” O'Neill said. “They trusted that he'd know where to go and where not to go, so they gave him pretty much unlimited access.”
Tom Kneebone, another photography colleague, remembers that Mr. Putignano's images from a 2003 crash on the Northwest Tollway near Marengo, in which eight women on a tour bus were killed, ran on the front page of a Miami newspaper.
“He got those pictures, because he was there,” Kneebone said. “He'd respond to an accident, no matter what time it was. I was never shocked to see him there at 3 a.m. — as recently as a few years ago. He was always there.”
Mr. Putignano grew up on Chicago's South side. He served with the Army Air Corps in World War II, before serving with the Navy during the Korean conflict.
In business, he worked as engineer for Flexonics, Inc. When the company relocated to Bartlett from Chicago, Mr. Putignano and his family moved with them.
He began as a volunteer firefighter in Bartlett in 1965. During the 1970s, he was among one of the first paramedic classes trained in the greater Elgin area, Misner says. He later was promoted to deputy chief, managing Fire Station No. 1 on Oak Street in Bartlett, as well as supervising fire scenes on calls.
John Whitmer of Bartlett served alongside Mr. Putignano as deputy fire chief, managing Fire Station No. 2. They worked together — as volunteers, and later as paid on call — for 20 years, under Chief Elmer Hecht.
“We each ran our station, and the manpower,” Whitmer said, “But Jack never lost his love of the hands-on stuff of firefighting.”
He kept his hand in it by taking photos and later shooting video. Police and fire radio scanners in his home and van kept him informed of breaking stories, and only a broken hip suffered last year sidelined him.
In his spare time, Mr. Putignano enrolled in continuing education classes at Elgin Community College. Nearly every semester, he was taking a class, friends say, reflecting his lifelong love of learning.
Mr. Putignano was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret. He is survived by his children Rita Langley and Dan (Sue), as well as five grandchildren.
Visitation will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at Countryside Funeral Home & Crematory, 950 South Bartlett Road in Bartlett. Funeral services will be private.