I Bought a Dead General’s Camera and Found His Family

I bought an old camera outfit at a thrift store in Lenoir City, Tennessee. Inside one of the accessory cases, somebody had written Lieutenant William J. Maddox. There was a photo of an Asian woman tucked in with the gear. His father had served in Japan.

I did some research and called the son, William Bill Maddox, in Texas. He was wary. Suspicious of scammers, which I understand. I explained that I just wanted to return his father’s camera to him.

Bill confirmed his father, later a Major General, was a big guy with the cameras. He had Nikons, so this outfit was probably a predecessor. The lot had Nikon manuals for other cameras.

The details checked out. His mother was J.J.A. Yee. His maternal grandfather was a Japanese diplomat. His parents married in 1948 and moved around, including Germany. His mother died in 1999, his father around 2001.

That tucked away photo was probably his mother. Not a side piece, despite what the commenters said.

Bill has no idea how the gear ended up in Tennessee. I am sending the equipment to his stepdaughter. It feels really good to get it back to him.

Watch the earlier video for the full thrifting story. This is the part where it got real.