Bryan Thomas Foster, 58, long time freelance Los Angeles-area cameraman, died November 4th 2008 at 2:23pm at his home in Panorama City. He had been fighting colon, liver, thyroid and lung cancer for about a year and recently opted to stop chemotherapy. His family and friends were with him as he died peacefully in his sleep.
His final goal, he told friends, was to live long enough to see Barack Obama win the presidential election. His son whispered to him that Barack had won at 2 pm jumping the decision…by just a little.
Bryan graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School and got an AA degree from Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California. He trained to be an army helicopter pilot, but a twist of fate put him in Saigon as an Army MP. He was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War.
Returning from his tour of duty in Saigon, Bryan went back to school and graduated from Cal State University, Northridge with a BA in Journalism. He got a job at Northridge Hospital, set up their audio-visual department, and taught many students how to make good television. He also founded his own company, Foster International News and Documentaries.
In the late 70’s, Bryan joined CBS Network News in London as a freelance photographer shooting with one of the first video cameras, the Ikegami Handylooky. He worked all over the Middle East in war zones in Beirut, Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights, and traveled to Africa covering the fight for independence by the people of Nairobi, Kenya in the early 1980’s. Bryan was a gutsy wartime cameraman who prided himself on getting the shot no matter what it took. One friend said, “ In 1977 when I was in the Israeli Military, my group knew of a crazy American cameraman, running around all the fighting with his crew. They were way too close for our likings. Years later I found out it was Bryan and we became close friends.”
Bryan was an avid sportsman and enjoyed hunting, scuba diving, fishing and betting on the horses. His luck was legendary. For example, when he needed a new roof on his house and didn’t have the money, he made a bet on a video horse race on TV and won more than the cost of the roof. He also loved Las Vegas and Poker and was regularly comped and invited to attend tournaments.
Foster is survived by his adult children, Mercedes, Jess and Max, a granddaughter Madeline, his sister Brook Warden, and brothers Bruce and Brent and extensive other family.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to the LA VA Health Care System, Volunteer Service (310-268-4350).
image: www.nppa.org
