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An Auction to Benefit the Cayucos Land Conservancy
A Collection of Nature, Landscape, and Fine Art Photographs by Ralph Wessel
Ralph Wessel, a talented landscape and nature photographer, was a longtime resident of Cayucos and staunch supporter of the Cayucos Land Conservancy who died on December 31, 2020 at age 97. The photographs in this auction are being sold to benefit the Land Conservancy and consist of the prints in his possession at the time he passed. These are the only remaining paper prints of his photographs that will be available to the public. All net proceeds from the auction will benefit the Cayucos Land Conservancy.
Ralph’s love of the outdoors and wild lands began early in this life. As a child, he loved riding his bike out into the country, camping, and fishing. He was a Boy Scout and earned his Eagle rank in 1940, setting a standard for the rest of his life.
After high school, he worked for Western Electric installing telephone switchboards until he was drafted in early 1943. He served as an airplane instrument mechanic in the Army Air Force, traveling around the world servicing B-29s on air bases in India and on Tinian in the Marianas. He served until January of 1946, when he returned to Cincinnati to begin a career with the Cincinnati and Suburban Bell Telephone Company, from which he retired years later as a supervising engineer.
In his free hours, he earned a pilot’s license and excelled at woodworking and photography, spending a brief period early in his life as a commercial photographer. It was through his photography that many of us knew him best. His Cayucos-area photos were exhibited regularly in several local galleries and earned him a substantial following.
Prior to the war, Ralph had wanted to be a park ranger, but life (and world history) did not allow him that path. Instead, he invested that energy in outdoors activities and supporting groups like the Cayucos Land Conservancy that preserve open space and protect wild lands. He was an advocate for conservation and wilderness preservation, and especially loved fishing on the Green River in Utah.
Cayucos Land Conservancy
PRESERVING OUR IMPORTANT PLACES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS https://www.cayucoslandconservancy.org/
The Cayucos Land Conservancy (CLC) is committed to the enduring preservation of the rural greenbelt that surrounds Cayucos, California. Preserving this historic and stunning open space is the primary goal of the land conservancy so that this and future generations can enjoy this beautiful place for many years to come.