June 2025.
Rock Rapids, Iowa.

During a recent family reunion in Rock Rapids, Lynn and I took time to drive around town and see what had changed. Although we’ve visited family here in recent years, we hadn’t explored the city itself in quite a while. It felt like the right moment to discover what’s new.

We discovered a growing series of outdoor murals that transform the town’s brick facades into storytelling canvases. A local public art initiative celebrates community heritage through portraiture, symbolism, and historical detail. The murals depict figures who have shaped civic life in Rock Rapids; some names are familiar to us, while others, such as the attorney depicted in this photo, are new. This post begins with the mural featuring attorney D. G. DeWaay, whose decades of legal service and civic leadership earned him a permanent place on the town’s visual timeline.

A quick AI search introduced me to Donald G. DeWaay, a respected attorney based in Rock Rapids, known for a distinguished legal career spanning five decades. He graduated with distinction from the University of Iowa in 1940 and began practicing law shortly thereafter. His career included service on the State Law Board of Governors, and he also served in World War II, with deployments in Italy and Africa.

DeWaay was affiliated with the firm Waagmeester & Kramer, located at 104 South Marshall Street. His legacy is honored locally on the mural depicting him entering his office, painted on the side of the professional building where he worked.

In a future week, I’ll feature another of Rock Rapids’ favorite sons depicted on a much larger mural. The mural of D. G. DeWaay reminds us that civic memory isn’t confined to archives or plaques. In many communities, it now lives on through public art, with stories of those who came before us.

About the photo: I captured the image in Pro Mode on my Samsung S23U, then imported the DNG file into Adobe Lightroom Classic. Using the new Adaptive Profile, I adjusted exposure settings, then I cropped and straightened the image, and applied the Denoise tool in the Details section. Finally, I used AI distraction removal to erase a parking enforcement sign located near the mural. I then exported the file into Luminar Neo for additional exposure adjustments and added a touch of Accent AI to finalize the image edit. If you’d like to examine the image in greater detail or check out the photo’s metadata, click on the image to view it on my Flickr site.

I invite fellow bloggers to join in by creating their own Cellpic Sunday posts. There’s no set theme—the only rule is that your photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or other mobile device. The second rule is simple: link your challenge response to this post or drop a comment here with your link so others can find it. And remember, despite the name, there’s no penalty for sharing on a day other than Sunday.

John Steiner