This page is based in the experience of Charles R. Schroeder who worked in Abadan, Iran and lived there with his family from early 1958 to early 1960. If you would like to contact us directly, please send email to Paul Schroeder or write to Paul at 13 Hamlin St., Orono, Maine 04473, USA.

Update, Dec. 31, 2011: We are sorry to relate that Charles R. Schroeder passed from this life peacefully on Nov. 18, 2011. He lived a full and gracious life of 100 years devoted to work, faith and family. He shared until the end, donating his brain and body to a major Alzheimers research project underway at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Part of his legacy are the 450 slides of Abadan and Iran taken in the 1950s, available in links given below. A memorial tribute to him has been written by Arash Abkhoo, photographer from Abadan, that has been posted at his photo blog, for which we are very grateful. An approximate translation has been posted as linked here. No memorial service is planned, though he will always be remembered on his birthday, March 16. Among organizations he supported are Amnesty International, American Friends Service Committee, and Berea College. Our thanks to all who have been supportive through the years.

Updates, Nov. 6, 2011:

1. All 450 of Charles Schroeder's original Kodachrome slides taken in Abadan, around Khuzestan province, and in other cities in Iran have been added to the collection of the Visual Arts Library of Harvard University. All slides have been re-scanned to high quality resolution, and are now available to the public at Harvard's VIA (Visual Information Access) database. Search input hints: put "Abadan - Anywhere" and "Schroeder - Anywhere" into the search form to retrieve all images. All images may be downloaded, please credit Harvard VIA. Publication quality images are available by arrangement and permission of Harvard. For further details on the collection, please contact Joanne Bloom, Photographic Resources Librarian, Fine Arts Library, 617-495-4656.

2. Many of these photos were originally published online at The Iranian as four photo essays (Memories of an American Boy, Khuzestan, 1958-1960, Another Time, Another World, and Little Mother of Abadan). Photos previously published can also be previewed here:
a) Abadan, 1958-60;
b) Khuzestan, 1958-59;
c) Iran, 1959.

3. The scanned issues of Abadan Today that were previously hosted here have been moved to the Abadan Today 1958-1960 folder at Box.net. There are 75 issues from July, 1958 to March, 1960 (several issues unfortunately are missing from that period). You can view these in forward or reverse chronological order by using the "Sort by: Name" tab at that site (the file names are based on issue dates). Thanks also are due to the Diba Library for supplying five of these issues.

4. Several issues of the newsletter supplement to Abadan Today, "Employee Bulletin," have also been posted to Box.net.

5. Also now posted to a Box.net folder titled IORC - NIOC Documents 1950s are a collection of oil industry documents including employee handbooks for overseas staff, a commemorative volume on pipeline completion, Abadan bus map, organization charts and one issue each of Ayeeneh / Mirror and Peik Naft.

A selection of these photographs (along with some photos from other sources) has been posted as a music video on YouTube as "Abadan Old." Our thanks to those who made this video - as of November 2011 that video site has had over 18,000 views.

Ellen Schroeder Bartelt, Charles Schroeder, Paul Schroeder, March 16, 2011

Charlie celebrated his 100th birthday on March 16, 2011.