WASHINGTON, Mo. -- As a newspaper photographer, Tim Jaynes not only recorded day-to-day life in Sikeston, he was also a big part of the community.

That led to him being inducted in the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame in a Thursday night ceremony. Jaynes, who was 38 when he died in 2008 of a heart attack, worked at the Standard-Democrat for 19 years.

"Tim's nomination was just outstanding," said Doug Crews, executive director of the Missouri Press Association, who also served on the Hall of Fame nomination committee. "So many people in the community gave the committee, through their letters and other means of support, a really good sense of what kind of person Tim was and how personal his photography was. What he did for the community is outstanding, too, and that certainly played into his nomination and selection."

Jaynes' wife, Christy, said all that was just a part of who her husband was.

"The paper allowed Tim to become a part of other aspects of the community that he grew to love as well," she said. "Over the years, he had worked with so many businesses and organizations and people in general, that he was well-known and trusted to them. He was comfortable and familiar to so many people that it became easy for him to be accepted in a lot of situations where others might be questioned. He was a big kid at heart, which worked to his advantage when trying to make people camera-ready."

Jaynes continued: "That big heart was also what led him to do things such as work on the Christmas campaign or loan his gloves or coat to someone at a ballgame, or stop and help a stranded motorist. Those things weren't part of Tim Jaynes, the photographer, they were part of Tim Jaynes, the man. When he was taking pictures, he didn't see a person's educational background, job title or socioeconomic background through the lens. He saw the potential for a great photo and that's the way he treated the people that he met. He set an example for how people should treat each other and how someone could be a good representative of the community. That's what set him apart from others."

Michael Jensen, publisher of the Standard-Democrat, agreed.

"It was the way he interacted with others that drew you to him," he said. "With an engaging smile and a willing attitude, Tim could charm the socks off of anyone."

Bill Miller Sr., publisher of the Washington Missourian, who helped launch the Hall of Fame in 2005, said it is "the only one of its kind in the United States." Miller described photojournalists such as Tim Jaynes and the other inductees as artists, not just photographers.

Spearheading Jaynes' nomination was Cal Crader, a friend and fellow member of the Sikeston Jaycees.

"The criteria included community involvement and quality of noteworthy pictures. I think he had a unique gift to really capture the moment." Crader said. "So I think he really was a shoo-in."

Crader said he learned of the Hall of Fame, which opened in 2005, when he was a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "About six months after Tim passed away, I sat back and remembered knowing about it," Crader said. "So I began looking into what we'd have to do to get somebody nominated an in the Hall of Fame."

Finding people to write letters of support and images for the nomination was easy, he said.

"There was no shortage of people that had dealings with Tim at work, in the newsroom and in the community that were willing to offer very personal, intimate accounts of how Tim fulfilled the criteria for selection to the Hall of Fame," he said. "And there was no shortage of subject matter to put together portfolios and information chronicling Tim's career as a photographer for somebody who didn't know Tim and follow him day by day."

Submitted photos includes those for fires, sports action, community events, and photo pages designed by Jaynes.

At Thursday's ceremony, photos of varying sizes by Jaynes and the other three inductees were on display. Additionally, each inductee has a plaque bearing their name on the wall of the building, and a duplicate is given to them or their family, according to Crews.

The Hall of Fame honor is bittersweet, Jaynes said.

"Tim would be very humbled and proud of the honor, but he will never know that this happened," she said. "My children will know. My son [Morgan, 5] doesn't really understand; but someday he will and he will see what an honor and tribute this is to his dad. My daughter, Rory, 8, is very excited and has told her friends and people at school about it."

Adding to the honor, the city of Sikeston proclaimed Thursday as Tim Jaynes Day.

"I feel really excited that there is a day named after my daddy," Rory said. "It makes me realize my daddy had so many friends that I didn't even know he had."

One of the things Jaynes misses most are her husband sharing the day's events.

"Tim always knew what was going on in his community and with the people who lived in it," she said. "He was so proud to be a part of Sikeston and to be able to record the ordinary day to day and extraordinary moments on film so that everyone could see it through his eyes."

Jaynes is the youngest inductee of the Hall of Fame to date.