Fox, O. James

O. (Oscar) James Fox was born October 2, 1914 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and raised in Lakewood, Ohio. He earned a bachelor of arts degree at Miami University in 1937 and a master's degree in education at Western Reserve University, Cleveland, in 1964. Fox arrived in Indianapolis in 1945 as a volunteer with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He was assigned to an urban work camp, part of Flanner House, a community center on the near west side of the city. Flanner House provided childcare, recreation, crafts and vocational training to Indianapolis' African-American community. One of his first jobs in Indianapolis was to photo document the slum area of the near west side of the city. Fox photographed buildings, street scenes, children, and families over a period dating from 1945 to circa 1960. He also wrote poetry associated with the photographs and his experiences living in an urban neighborhood.