HONORING 165 YEARS OF McDONALD STUDIO IN SOUTH BEND

On 2026-10-05, Representative Rudy Yakym III (R-IN-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING 165 YEARS OF McDONALD STUDIO IN SOUTH BEND" in the House.

HONORING 165 YEARS OF McDONALD STUDIO IN SOUTH BEND

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 157 (Monday, October 5, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 157 (Monday, October 5, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E1022-E1023] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING 165 YEARS OF McDONALD STUDIO IN SOUTH BEND ______ HON. RUDY YAKYM III of indiana in the house of representatives Monday, October 5, 2026 Mr. YAKYM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize McDonald Studio of South Bend, Indiana, the longest-operating photography studio in our state, and the Patnaude family, who have owned it for 80 years. For 165 years, McDonald Studio has captured timeless moments for the people of South Bend. Weddings. Senior pictures. Baby pictures. Family portraits. Over the past half-century, generations of South Bend high school seniors sat for their senior pictures at McDonald Studio. If you grew up in South Bend, chances are McDonald Studio took your picture, or your parents', or your grandparents'. The story begins in 1861, when a young photographer named Albert McDonald opened a picture studio in South Bend. That was the year the Civil War began, and four years before South Bend was incorporated as a city. Photography itself was barely two decades old. Albert ran the studio for more than three decades. His son, Edwin, and other owners carried it forward in the years that followed. Through every change, the McDonald name carried on. In 1946, Raymond F. Patnaude and his wife, Beulah, bought McDonald Studio. Their son, David, and his wife, Ann, joined the business in 1975, more than 50 years ago. McDonald Studio endured the Civil War, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. It lasted through the arrival of color film, Polaroids, and digital photography. But one thing never changed: capturing the moments that matter most to South Bend families. The studio's mission is to promote value, beauty, expression, and timeless memories to share with family and friends, For more than 160 years, McDonald Studio has done exactly that. In September, David and Ann announced they are ready to retire. Whatever comes next for the business, McDonald Studio's legacy is [[Page E1023]] secure. It hangs on the walls of Hoosier homes across our community. Mr. Speaker, a photograph freezes a moment in time. For 165 years, McDonald Studio has made sure South Bend's most important moments were never lost. On behalf of Indiana's Second Congressional District, I congratulate McDonald Studio on 165 remarkable years and thank the Patnaude family for preserving the moments that matter most to Hoosier families. ____________________