Anne Cusack Derk (1951–2023) was an award winning American photojournalist, visual storyteller, and trailblazer for women in journalism whose career spanned more than five decades. She is remembered not only for her striking images and technical excellence, but also for the deep humanity she brought to every story she touched. A longtime photographer for both the Chicago Tribune and later the Los Angeles Times, she helped shape modern visual journalism while opening doors for women in a field that was overwhelmingly male during the early years of her career.

Born in Chicago and raised in Glenview, Illinois, Anne attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she studied social work and discovered photography through The Daily Illini. There she became the first female photo chief in the newspaper’s history, an early sign of the leadership and pioneering spirit that would define her career. It was also at Illinois where she met fellow photographer and future husband Richard Derk, beginning both a lifelong partnership and a shared commitment to visual storytelling.

After graduation in 1973, Anne worked at smaller suburban newspapers before joining the Chicago Tribune in 1978. Chicago journalism in the late 1970s and 1980s was a legendary environment filled with nationally recognized photographers, and Anne distinguished herself within that world as one of very few women working among the city’s news photographers. Her work quickly gained recognition for combining technical precision with emotional intimacy.

Anne achieved a historic milestone when she became the first woman ever named Illinois Press Photographers Association Photographer of the Year, making history as the first female recipient of Illinois’ top photography honor. She was also the first woman honored as Photographer of the Year by the Chicago Press Photographers Association, receiving that distinction twice. These awards established her as one of the most influential female photojournalists in Illinois history and a pioneer for women entering visual journalism.

Her photography ranged from breaking news to intimate documentary projects. Among her notable early works was her coverage of Vietnamese boat refugees in Southeast Asia, where she documented displacement and survival with extraordinary empathy. Her images were so compelling that an expanded multi page photographic presentation was ultimately published, helping demonstrate the power of long form photojournalism at the Chicago Tribune.

Later, Anne joined the Los Angeles Times, where she continued producing deeply human visual narratives. Anne was part of the Los Angeles Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 1994 for coverage of the Southern California wildfires of 1993. The Pulitzer recognized the Times staff’s reporting and visual coverage of the devastating firestorms that swept across Southern California, destroying homes and reshaping wildfire awareness in the region. A few other celebrated projects include:

• The Girl series documenting future boxing champion Seniesa Estrada, exploring identity, family, and ambition.

• Longitudinal stories following children with congenital heart disease.

• Photo essays on survivors of war injuries and traumatic brain injury.

• Sports photography, including her iconic image capturing a backboard shattering slam dunk during a high school basketball game.

• Her photograph known as “Five Presidents,” capturing five living U.S. presidents together at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in 1991. The image brought together Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and sitting President George H. W. Bush in a single frame, creating one of the most historically significant presidential photographs of its era. The photograph appeared on the front page of the Los Angeles Times and reflected Anne’s instinct for preserving defining historical moments through visual storytelling, and is the current record for most presidents in a single photo.

Colleagues frequently described Anne as more than a photographer. Writers who worked with her noted her unusual ability to become part of the lives she documented, earning trust through kindness rather than distance. Her photographs reflected that closeness. She was known for finding moments of vulnerability, resilience, and connection that transformed journalism into something deeply human.

Beyond journalism, Anne was equally devoted to family. Together with Richard Derk, she raised three children while maintaining an award winning career, serving as a model for balancing artistic excellence with motherhood at a time when few women had visible examples in the profession. Family members remembered her creativity, curiosity, and sense of wonder, from late night meteor shower viewings to turning ordinary moments into adventures.

After retiring from the Los Angeles Times in 2015, Anne turned toward sculpture and other creative pursuits. She later battled interstitial lung disease before passing away in 2023 at age 72. Her legacy remains not only in her photographs but in the generations of female photographers she inspired.

As her daughter, Gwendolyn Derk, later reflected:

“Her life’s work was also her art. She was always a voice for the voiceless. She helped tell the story of so many people. A pioneer for women in the male dominated field of photography, Anne trailblazed that path for so many women, and beautifully captured the essence of people and what it meant to be human.”

Today, Anne Cusack Derk is remembered as a pioneering Illinois photographer, a compassionate journalist, and one of the women who helped redefine what photojournalism could be.