WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A picture-perfect ending. The Christmas pictures taken with a 30-year-old camera are reunited with the family that took them. KSN’s Derek Lytle brings us this KSN exclusive.
He spoke to the family, which has a special tie to KSN, about what it means to see those memories for the very first time.
Several who work at KSN were shocked when Kevin Crockett, a former director and producer, reached out about an hour after last night’s 10 p.m. broadcast. He was astonished. The pictures developed were his family’s 2001 Christmas photos.
A Hallmark ending.
“I remember that day perfectly, so it was really cool to see those pictures again,” said Kevin Crockett.
He received a call that the pictures aired in a KSN story might belong to his family. Now, he is reunited with memories he did not know existed.
“What a great time for us to have that family memory back, at Christmas, and they were Christmas pictures. It was so nice that that guy took the moment to get them developed and see what would happen,” said Crockett.
Those photos were trapped behind the walls of a camera until Derby Native Seth Boles bought the camera from a store in Wichita and had them developed, not knowing he would unlock someone’s cherished holiday time.
He got to meet Kevin’s dad, Ken Crockett, in person, reuniting the decades-old pictures with the man behind the lens, who was shocked they existed.
“I had no idea I left those pictures on that camera,” said Ken Crockett.
“My parents passed away probably a couple of years after those pictures were taken. It’s exciting to see them holding my granddaughter. My granddaughter is still the sweet little thing that she was back when she was two years old,” said Ken Crockett.
His granddaughter Abby, now in her twenties, is studying in college. She said the pictures take her back to her childhood.
“It’s kind of like opening a time vault, really. It’s fun to see myself opening some of those presents on that Christmas,” said Abby Stewart.
The family was thankful to the man who took a chance to develop their memories.
Ken said they would be the talk of the holidays.
“These pictures will certainly be the center of attraction for that meeting,” said Ken Crockett.
Ken said they already had a date on the calendar, in December, to share the photos in person with the entire family.