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Obituary for Harrell Edward Clement, II.
Brownsville native Harrell Edward Clement, II, died at St. Dominic Memorial Hospital in Jackson, MS, on December 7, 2020. He was 66 years of age. A family-only celebration of life will be scheduled when appropriate given the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions. Sebrell Funeral Home of Ridgeland, MS, is in charge of arrangements. Clement returned from Ft. Myers, FL, briefly to his native Tennessee in 2017, having retired from a successful three decades as solo-owner of Clement Photographic Services in Southwest Florida; he moved to Mississippi in 2018. Well known for his artfully rendered commercial images, including aerial and architectural photos, people and products, lifestyle, medical, food, and product work, Clement worked flexibly, listening to and working harmoniously with clients to deliver high quality images in a timely fashion. Changes in technology and a 2011 diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease slowed the skilled and talented artist but never stopped his passion for photography. As late as April 2020 on location in Yazoo City, he shot the author’s photograph for a friend’s book cover. Born the son of the late Harrell Edward Clement and Irlene Davis Clement on October 7, 1954, Clement is survived by two brothers – David Clement (Elaine) of Bells and Mike Clement (Elaine) of Brownsville – and sister Eula Clement Douglass (Jim), also of Brownsville. Other survivors consist of many nephews, nieces, and cousins as well as friends worldwide, including NancyKay Sullivan Wessman of Jackson, MS, and his Maine Coon cat Gabriella (Gabby). He grew up in the Southern Baptist tradition and became a communicant of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church while living in Oxford, MS, in the 1970s. Ed Clement’s mellifluous voice along with love for and knowledge of music contributed to his having his own WTBG-Radio show at age 15; he particularly appreciated the blues and created A Feeling Called The Blues that featured guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon, singer and harmonica player. Clement completed the film, a one-man production, in 1977 while working in public relations at Ole Miss; remarkably, he wrote, directed, produced, shot the footage, recorded the sound, and edited the film. As a teen, Clement found magic in the darkroom and a voice in the images he and his camera captured. He studied photography at then-Memphis State University, Memphis Academy of Arts, The University of Mississippi, and Winona School of Professional Photography and also served as apprentice with New Zealand Master Photographer Cedric Heath of Jackson, TN. Visual masters Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Dorothea Lang, Peter B. Kaplan, and Faulkner photo biographer Jack Cofield influenced his work. Among his productions are film and video, broadcast journalism, and award-winning work for the Associated Press. Early career jobs included videographer at ABC-affiliate WHBQ-TV in Memphis, TN; chief cinematographer in public relations at The University of Mississippi; and chief photographer/videographer at WBBH-TV, now known as NBC2, in Fort Myers, FL. While at Ole Miss, he was film editor for both The Ken Cooper Show and The Steve Sloan Show, game highlight shows with the then-head UM coach produced at and broadcast from WHBQ-TV 13. The permanent collection of the Eastman Kodak Library of Rochester, NY, and numerous private collectors chose his images. Through his business, he produced for local and national clientele pictures for advertising, public relations, and Internet publication. His photos from on-location in Mexico, England, and Greece as well as throughout the United States have graced billboards and magazines as well as the walls of galleries and stylish homes. Work enabled his filming, videoing, or photographing President Jimmy Carter, Elvis Presley, Buford Pusser, Deion Sanders, and Chuck Norris, among other luminaries. A proud son of the South and West Tennessee, Clement studied its history along with that of both World Wars. Early in life, he found fascination in flight and aviation history; he himself became a licensed pilot in 1987 and photographed many World War II pilots with their vintage planes. When not on assignment, he spent time photographing the back roads of the South, searching for beliefs, recollections, and remnants of fading American lifestyles. He requested that his ashes be returned to the shell-covered sands of Sanibel Island, where he devoted hours to peaceful meditation and photography. Memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research whose single, urgent goal is to eliminate Parkinson’s Disease.
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