Pesek photographed the Beatles when they first came to Chicago (he wore earplugs) and was there when the bodies of eight student nurses were carried out of a bloody townhouse on 100th Street.

The Sun-Times photo staff transformed, too, as the 35-millimeter camera was introduced and a new crowd of young photographers joined the staff.

“They were a little pushy in some respects,” said Pesek. “But they were tamed in a short while. They learned from us.

“There were so many tricks in our business. We knew how to get into places and who to see. Eventually they listened.”

Until the mid-Sixties, Pesek felt comfortable in just about every part of the city. Civil rights riots that erupted in white and black neighborhoods changed that. “All of a sudden, you had to be careful wherever you went,” he said.

“The desk would tell us to get a cup of coffee, but it wasn’t so easy. They didn’t realize there was often no place to stop.”