Ron St. Angelo, who served as the official photographer for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys for more than three decades, poses at his home in Grapevine on Feb. 26. St. Angelo, who over the course of his career also captured many faith-based images, recently donated his now-digital photography collection to the Diocese of Dallas. (KEVIN BARTRAM/Special Contributor)
By Jeff Miller
Special to The Texas Catholic
For Ron St. Angelo, photography became a passion at Beaumont High during the mid-1960s and then his life’s work soon after his return from two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy. Two of his most frequent subjects have been the Diocese of Dallas, with which he has published four books, and the Dallas Cowboys, for which he served as official photographer for more than three decades (earning him three Super Bowl rings).
St. Angelo, 72, recently donated his now-digital photographic collection to the diocese.
“The work that I did was pretty much a gift from me to God for the talent he gave me,” St. Angelo said.
At 72, he said he’s 100 percent disabled from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, which prevents him from attending in-person Mass, but is a graduate student at the University of Dallas in Irving studying theology and philosophy.
“I decided I was going to dedicate the rest of my career to repaying God for giving me that talent,” he said.
“We are grateful to Ron for gifting the Diocese of Dallas with the St. Angelo Collection,” said Kelly Halaszyn, development director for the diocese. “This historical collection of photography of the Diocese of Dallas captures the richness of our faith, and we look forward to preserving these images as part of our treasured collection.”
Joyce Higgins, the diocesan archivist, said, “Ron St. Angelo’s use of the camera to create this photographic collection gives us an opportunity to see ourselves and the world around in these historical moments of the Diocese of Dallas. They will be used for generations to come.”
St. Angelo’s professional routine has included prayer.
“When I pray before I photograph, I say, ‘God, I want you to show me what you want me to see,’ ” he said.
St. Angelo’s passions for the Catholic faith and America’s Team crossed paths late in the 1993 football season when he decided to shoot a time-lapse image of Texas Stadium during a Monday Night Football game from UD’s Braniff Memorial Tower. That required lugging his equipment to the top and tying it down with bungie cords before shooting. The result was particularly memorable, and he returned to the tower in April 2010 to record the implosion of the stadium.
“I’m a storyteller with a camera,” St. Angelo said. “I use the same style with the Cowboys and the diocese. A lot of stuff is unfolding in real time in front of you. When something important happens, you’d better be ready.”
He and Joanna, his wife of 41 years, live in Grapevine on “a little piece of heaven” that includes a spring-fed pond. He’s a founding member of Mater Dei parish in Irving and is a patron of the Carmelite monastery in Dallas.
Of his involvement at UD, St. Angelo said, “I plan to be attending class at the University of Dallas for the duration of my life.”
Editor’s Note: Images from the Ron St. Angelo Collection donated to the Diocese of Dallas are currently available for viewing on the University of Dallas’ Digital Commons website
