Beloved MLK Center Leader Hosts Final Senior Photo Shoot Before Retirement
- Portland Observer
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
Annual Tradition Celebrated Older Adults Dressed in Their Finest Attire
After more than two decades of leading Meals on Wheels People’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Northeast Portland, Program Manager David Lomax will retire at the end of August.
As he prepares to begin his next chapter, he recently hosted one final Senior Photo Shoot, an annual tradition he created in 2015 after noticing many older adults no longer appeared in family photographs.
“As seniors get older, they stop taking pictures,” David says. “As they pass, families are going around asking for photos. ‘Does anybody have any pictures of them?’ So, I thought, ‘Let’s do a senior photo shoot!’”
The event offered media the opportunity to capture older adults celebrating their lives through professional portraits, interview David about his 21 years of service, and hear from participants whose lives have been enriched by the welcoming community he helped build.
David’s connection to the MLK Center runs deeper than his career. He grew up in Northeast Portland and returned to serve the community that shaped him.
“It’s a blessing to come back and serve in the community I grew up in,” he says.
When David became the MLK Center program manager in 2005, he helped grow the center into a gathering place where older adults feel known and valued. He built relationships with participants, volunteers, neighborhood organizations, and local businesses, creating a sense of belonging that extends far beyond the walls of the center.
One of his most meaningful legacies began in 2015, when David noticed that many older adults stopped appearing in photographs as they aged.
“As seniors get older, they stop taking pictures,” David says. “As they pass, families are going around asking for photos. ‘Does anybody have any pictures of them?’ So I thought, ‘Let’s do a senior photo shoot!’”
What began as a simple idea became a beloved tradition. Each year, older adults dress up, receive complimentary professional portraits, and see their photos displayed on the center’s “Wall of Fame.” This year’s portraits are generously donated by Tony Sibley Photography, continuing a tradition made possible by the generosity of community photographers. The tradition became personal for David, too. His own mother’s portrait hangs on the Wall of Fame — a reminder that every older adult has a story worth preserving.
For David, the heart of his work has always been the people.
“It’s the people. The people we serve. The community. The relationships,” he says. “We try to create a safe place for them. Sometimes we argue. Sometimes we may disagree. In the end, we’re a community.”
He describes many of the older adults served at the center as people who have “outgrown their family and outgrown their friends” — people who need a place where they are recognized, welcomed, and connected.
That sense of belonging is something older adults at the MLK Center have experience every day.
“He’s very concerned about everybody getting something to eat and having a place to go and do things,” says Alfredia Nelson, a longtime MLK Center participant and advisory council member. “I’ve always admired him. I just like the fact that he can ask you something with a smile, and whether you want to or not, you’ll do it. He’s a good organizer. Everything he suggests, I’m right there with him.”
During his tenure, David helped the center grow into a thriving community hub. Today, more than 55 older adults regularly gather at the center for meals, activities, and connection, while volunteers deliver more than 2,700 meals each week to 425 older adults throughout Northeast Portland.
Beyond the center walls, David built deep relationships throughout Northeast Portland. He created the annual Summer in September Jambalaya Festival & BBQ, which grew into a signature community fundraiser, and strengthened partnerships with neighborhood groups, businesses, volunteers, and community leaders.
But the legacy David leaves behind is perhaps best measured in the relationships he built — and the many older adults who know the MLK Center as a place where they belong.
