C. Clifford Preisigke II, news photographer
by DAVID F. SHERMAN Managing Editor

Preisigke II

C. Clifford Preisigke II, acknowledged by his peers as the most prominent photographer of breaking news in Buffalo for more than three decades, died Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007.

Mr. Preisigke, 77, of Amherst, worked for the old Courier Express for more than 32 years.

As the official photographer of the Buffalo Fire Department, his stark black-and-white newspaper images of major fires became the visual history of the organization. Through his connections with the newspaper and the department, he was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with firefighters and capture their efforts from a perspective few others ever saw.

Mr. Preisigke's work preserved a different era in the fire service, with men working in rubber coats and metal helmets. For these reasons, Mr. Preisigke's photos continue to grow in historic significance to this day.

Most would agree that a news story took on added importance when Mr. Preisigke pulled up in his station wagon, bristling with antennae, and started taking photographs.

"In his own quiet way, he always got the job done," said Mickey Osterreicher, a photographer who worked with him at the Courier Express.

"Cliff had an incredible career. He always knew the right place to be at the scene of a fire and had a great nose for news. We may never see someone exactly like him again, and that's unfortunate for all of us."

Tragically, one of his sons died in the line of duty as a Buffalo firefighter. Clifford Preisigke III, 28, died April 13, 1985 as a result of head injuries sustained four days earlier when he lost his balance and fell from Engine 3 as it was leaving quarters in response to an alarm.

Mr. Preisigke also covered breaking news stories on motion picture film for CBS News, including the 1970 riot at Attica State Prison. Working as a freelancer with CBS credentials, he went to Attica shortly after a group of prisoners seized control of the facility and captured 40 hostages, according to retired Buffalo firefighter and personal friend Pat Coghlan.

"Cliff rented a motor home and drove to Attica on Thursday afternoon. He parked it at a tavern across the street from the prison, and it became the primary communications unit for a lot of media outlets. We had two or three phone lines going out of it."

Unsure of the tense situation about to explode inside the prison's walls, Mr. Preisigke was nonetheless in the right spot once again.

When negotiations broke down and State Police used force to reclaim the prison the following Monday, it was film shot by Mr. Preisigke that made the national news. Coghlan and two other Buffalo firefighters doubled as sound and light technicians.

"I was standing right next to him when the State Police went in," Coghlan recalled. Ten hostages and 29 inmates died in the assault.

A native of Boston, Mass., Mr. Preisigke established a VHF marine radio operator service in 1956, which eventually grew to cover the east coast from Maine to Florida. His talents also included motion picture production for several government agencies.

Mr. Preisigke also served as an Emergency Services Coordinator for the City of Buffalo after the Courier Express closed.

Surviving are his wife of 52 years, the former Dolores Sifkovits; a son, Kurt; a daughter in-law, Michele Witucki; and four grandchildren, Julie Beth, Stephen, Elizabeth and Matthew Preisigke.

A memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3 at Christ the King Church, 30 Lamarck Drive, Snyder. Arrangements were made by the Dietrich Funeral Home.