WCC student killed in driving accident

Managing Editor

Paul DiMarco poses by Barton Dam in Ann Arbor during a location shoot with his Environmental Portraiture class. The photo was taken just days before Paul’s untimely death and he posted it as his Facebook picture the day before his passing.

Kris Merkel Courtesy photo

Paul DiMarco was driving down I-94, headed toward Ann Arbor with a friend to do what he loved best — a photo shoot — when the car he was driving collided with a stopped semitrailer while driving 70 mph, police said. DiMarco, a Washtenaw Community College photography student, and passenger Wayne Doran, a senior at Dearborn Divine Child High School, died on impact around 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 19. “Paul was a very talented photographer,” said DiMarco’s photo instructor, Don Werthman. “He had a very promising career in front of him.” A WCC grief counselor spent time with DiMarco’s classmates in the courses he was taking. Three days prior to the accident, DiMarco was at a photo shoot at the Barton Dam. He was on his way to shoot there again when he died. Five days after the accident, Romulus Police were still investigating. Both victims were wearing seatbelts and the police don’t suspect alcohol use.

During his tenure as a photographer for The Washtenaw Voice, Paul DiMarco captured this classic image of youth and summertime fun. ‘Tucker Scott, 3, enjoys a single Superman cone, one of the many flavors available at Washtenaw Dairy.’

“We’re looking at the angle of distracted driving,” said the Romulus Police. DiMarco was well-liked among his peers at the college, and his work was widely respected. “I appreciated his friendship and encouragement,” said Bob Conradi, photo editor of The Washtenaw Voice, who had two classes with DiMarco. “I always looked forward to seeing his images when we were reviewing one another’s work. His creativity was exceptional.” DiMarco was a frequent contributor to The Voice. “This is a sad and tragic loss for our community, our college and our newspaper,” said Keith Gave, adviser to the newspaper. “Paul worked with our group last year, and his photos helped us produce better, more appealing papers. More than that, he was delightful to work with – the consummate team player who would do anything necessary to get the images that helped bring our news and feature stories to life. “He had a brilliant future as a photographer, but we’ll miss him as a friend.”

Alan Traxler

It is so sad to hear this news. Paul was a very good photographer, a talented graphic designer, and based upon his friends’ willingness to stay out late in the cold, he was a good friend.

Here’s my story about Paul:

In April at a class here at WCC, each graphic design student was paired with a photographer and I lucked out: my photographer was Paul DiMarco. He was very knowledgeable, helpful and his creative energy inspired me to work harder on the assignment. Paul and I were the only ones to do a location shoot; we went to the University of Michigan’s campus late at night and shot a couple of Paul’s friends doing tricks on skateboards. As ‘art director of the shoot’, I was supposed to direct the shots, but I leaned on Paul’s experience and just outlined the basic pictures I needed. It was cool to see him work, trying to get just the right look. After a few hours of walking all around and shooting in the cold (and worrying we’d be hassled by campus police) we grabbed some burritos afterward at BTB. All in all, it was a fun, memorable night for me and the photos came out great. And besides the beautiful pictures, Paul also designed a logo I used in the assignment. He didn’t have to do that… what a guy!

Though Paul was a friendly person and we had several things in common, a friendship didn’t really form from this assignment (but the potential for one was there, I think). We were never going to have class together and didn’t cross paths much, but I liked seeing the guy around campus from time to time.

In the end, I wish I could claim that I was friends with Paul but we were merely acquaintances. It saddens me not only to hear of his death, but to realize now that a friendship will never be built. Paul DiMarco will be missed.