Joe Scherschel shot his Che photo for a story that ran in LIFE in July 1960 titled “Communism’s Take-Over in Castro’s Cuba.” The story recognized Guevara’s key role in the revolution:

“Castro nominated himself the messiah of Latin American underdogs using one instrument his voice. And although his wildly histrionic performances often make him appear a certifiable lunatic, the power of his magnetic appeal cannot be denied. . . . But since he does almost no real work himself, the material power of his regime rests with his chosen aides. Chief among them, and probably the most sinister, are his brother Raúl and the Argentine party-liner Ernest (Che) Guevara.”

That’s an overly simplistic characterization of the post-Batista power structure in Cuba, but there’s no question that, for several years, no other rebel in Havana was closer to Castro, or wielded as much power, as Guevara.

But the complexity of Guevara’s legacy is in many ways far more fascinating, and more telling, than any litany of mere facts about his life.

For example, for countless people around the globe, Guevara is the paragon of the freedom fighter: a fearless, selfless defender of the downtrodden who gave his life battling to liberate all of Latin America from the yoke of imperialist—i.e., American—oppression and exploitation.

For others, he’s little more than a glorified thug—an unimaginative and brutal commissar who imprisoned, tortured and killed those who disagreed with him (or those who happened to be gay, or Jehovah’s Witnesses, or displayed any number of other “anti-revolutionary” tendencies).

Finally, there are those who know absolutely nothing about the Cuban Revolution, or Castro, or Guevara, or Fulgencio Batista, but who love rocking those Che t-shirts and key chains.

In the end, it is at least marginally amusing to imagine what Guevara himself would say if he could see that his most lasting influence might not reside in the realm of geopolitics, or socialist or military theory, but in the world of merchandise.

Che Guevara in Cuba, 1959.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Cuban rebels Che Guevara (left(, Manuel Urrutia and Camilo Cienfuegos during a celebration of Fidel Castro’s rebel victory, 1959.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Cuban rebel Ernesto Che Guevara with a lit cigar clenched between his teeth and his left arm in a sling.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Cuban rebel leader Che Guevara in Havana, 1959.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Che Guevara (left) in Cuba during a time of revolution, 1959.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post Che Guevara: The Image of Revolution appeared first on LIFE.

The renaming of the building is a tribute, and perhaps also an apology for the resistance, official and otherwise, that Hunter and Holmes met when they first tried to enroll in the school. Georgia admitted Hunter and Holmes as transfers only after a legal battle (the school argued they did not have dorm space for the two students) When they arrived on campus, pro-segregation protestors were there to meet them, and that night a riot broke out. The images by LIFE photographer Joe Scherschel capture the ugliness, including one particularly sickening image of a young man gleefully displaying a black doll with a noose around its neck.

In its Jan, 20, 1961 issue heres how LIFE reported on a day that began with hope but ended in chaos:

Their admission had been ordered by a federal court. Governor S. Ernest Vandiver made only a token protest against the decree. Many at the University were ready to accept the Negroes. In class their first day passed calmly.

But on the campus, jeering and joking students stirred trouble. That night the impact of student bigots and the influx of Klansmen into the campus brought an eruption. A student mob threw bricks at Charlayne’s dormitory and yelled vulgarities up at her window. Dean of Men William Tate worked heroically to restrain the rioters, and town police, acting chiefly in self-defense, dispersed them with tear gas. State police arrived two hours and 20 minutes after they were called. Then they drove Charlayne and Hamilton home to Atlanta. Governor Vandiver’s secretary commended the rioters on their “character and courage.”

The university suspended the two Negroes “for their own safety.” A majority of the faculty petitioned for their return and a federal court promptly ordered their reinstatement.

(Note that Georgia was not alone in these kinds of incidents. At the University of Mississippi the admission of the first Black student brought another riot.)

Hunter and Holmes did return to campus, and eventually graduated and went on to distinguished careers. Holmes became the first Black student at the medical school of Emory University and then worked as an orthopedic surgeon. Hunter, who would later be known as Charlayne Hunter-Gault, became as journalist for such outlets as the New York Times and PBS.

And today at the University of Georgia, Black students now comprise 6.6% of the student body.

Charlayne Hunter (center), one of the first two Black students at the University of Georgia, was escorted on her first day of class, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Charlayne Hunter (center), one of the the first two Black students to enroll at the University of Georgia, on her first day of classes in 1961..

Hamilton Holmes, one of the first two Black students at the University of Georgia, on his first day of classes in 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Hamilton Holmes was one of the first two Black students at the University of Georgia, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Hamilton Holmes (center), one of the first two Black students at the University of Georgia, was welcomed to campus by the psychology professor, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Hamilton Holmes was one of the first two Black students at the University of Georgia, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A pro-segregation protester at the University of Georgia on the day the first two Black students arrived on campus, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A pro-segregration protest at the University of Georgia on the day the first two Black students arrived on campus, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Tear gas was used to disperse rioters in front of Charlayne Hunter’s dormitory at the University of Georgia, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A window was broken at the University of Georgia’s Meyers Hall during protests against the school’s integration, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Charlayne Hunter, one of the first two Black students at the University of Georgia, was taken from campus after pro-segregation protests turned violent, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Charlayne Hunter leaving campus after her enrollment at the University of Georgia set off pro-segregration protests, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Hamilton Holmes, one of the first two Black students to enroll at the University of Georgia, 1961.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post The Fight to Desegregate the University of Georgia, 1961 appeared first on LIFE.

But despite their increased earning power, women are still more likely to carry the heavier burden when it comes to parenting. That context is all worth keeping in mind when considering a photo essay that ran the July 16, 1956 issue of LIFE. The story followed around a father who—brace yourself—had to take care of his four children by himself for an entire weekend while his wife was away.

The photo essay may have been built around a now-outdated assumption about the father’s role in the household, but it at least recognized the value of the unpaid labor that mothers have done for ages. The lighthearted essay by LIFE photographer Joe Scherschel showed how much dad struggled when he had to take over the work his wife had been doing.

The dad in question was Joe Gordon, a 33-year-old architect in Dallas. His four kids included Laura Lea (9 years old), Spencer (3), and a pair of two-month-old twin boys. Joe was on his own for the weekend because his wife had gone to her parents in Tulsa for some much-needed rest.

As the pictures show, Joe had to face the usual mayhem of parenting—crying children, diaper changes, early wake-ups, a sink full of dishes, and the inexplicable random crisis (why is Spencer playing with nails in the hallway?) The photos feel like they could be stills from a 1950s sitcom.

And at the end of this episode Joe learned the valuable lesson about domestic labor. He told LIFE after his weekend with the kids, “I feel like I’ve been on a 25-mile hike with a full pack…I wouldn’t change jobs on a bet.”

Jo Lea said goodbye to her husband, Joe Gordon, and her two-month-old twins, before a weekend away, 1956. LIFE followed Joe for a photo essay as he cared for his four children on his own.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, in the first hours of his weekend vigil, managing the simultaneous feeding of his two-month old twins, from a story on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, holding one of the twins while talking on the phone with mom, from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, with twins on his shoulders, is ready for sleep and heading for the bedroom; from a 1956 story on the adventures of a father of four children whose mother was away on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, changing one twin with the other on his shoulder, from a 1956 story on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, relaxing for a few minutes on the bed next to one twin that is sleeping, from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, trying to grab a bite to eat before bringing in the wash, and at the same time, trying to keep his two-month-old son quiet, from a photo essay on the adventures of a father with four children and their mother away on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, changing the twins, from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, with one of his twins during a five a.m. feeding, from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, holding his two babies, trying to get a drink, from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon clumsily lifting infant son Clark while attempting to change his diaper, from a 1956 photo essay on a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon surveying the lineup of dirty dishes and formula bottles (he finally did the dishes at 11 o’clock that night), from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Last-minute crisis for Joe Gordon, as son Spencer Gordon plays with a pile of nails he spilled on the hallway floor, from a 1956 photo essay on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon, preparing his daughter Laura Lea for Sunday school class, from a 1956 story on the adventures of a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Gordon holding crown which came off his tooth while eating steak, from a 1956 story on a father taking over child care duties while his wife is on vacation.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Mother returns home at last after a weekend away, greeting her weary husband, Joe Gordon, and the kids, 1956.

Joe Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post When Dad Tried Doing Mom’s Work For a Weekend appeared first on LIFE.

The wonderful watermelon popped up many times over the years in the pages of LIFE, and in all kinds of settings. It was once even the centerpiece of a boozy beach blowout.

A 1948 story in LIFE carried the oh-so-tantalizing title Fun on the Beach: Summer Finds Americans Shedding Clothing and Inhibitions at Seaside. The watermelon was the star of the party, as revelers turned it into a vehicle for alcohol. One caption spoke enviously of the young people “stretching out and sipping spiked watermelon punch.” The photos here give rich documentation of the party people arriving at the San Diego beach with watermelons in tow, infusing the watermelons with alcohol, and then drinking from the watermelons as day turned to night.

LIFE has on more than one occasion gone to the farms to show where these mighty melons are harvested. LIFE staff photographers Wallace Kirkland, chronicler of so many scenes of American agriculture, took photos of a watermelon harvest in Illinois in the 1940s, and the legendary Loomis Dean documented workers in the fields of Imperial Valley in Califlornia, showing in one beautiful picture how the laborers formed a human conveyer belt to help get the melons into the back of a truck.

In 1960 LIFE applied a deliriously dramatic headline, “Major Melon Massace in Metuchen” to the story of a watermelon eating contest in New Jersey. A local real estate agency had sponsored the contest in an example of old-school brand building. The photos, in addition to showing cute kids chomping away, show how watermelons have evolved between then and now, because all those melons had the black mature seeds that have all but been eliminated from the product on sale in today’s grocery stores. (Seedless watermelons, a testimony to the power fo plant breeding, began to take over the market in the 1990s, ). At the New Jersey contest those black seeds inspired gamesmanship among contests who picked them out before the contest’s official start. The story closed with a quote from one boy who hadn’t. He complained, “I swallowed so many seeds I’m going to grow a watermelon patch in my stomach.”

A spiked watermelon beach party in San Diego, 1948.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A spiked watermelon beach party in San Diego, 1948.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A spiked watermelon beach party in San Diego, 1948.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A spiked watermelon beach party in San Diego, 1948.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A spiked watermelon beach party in San Diego, 1948.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Migrant workers harvesting watermelons in the Imperial Valley, California, 1947.

Loomis Dean/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Migrant workers harvesting watermelons in the Imperial Valley, California, 1947.

Loomis Dean/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Workers harvesting watermelons in the Imperial Valley, California, 1947.

Loomis Dean/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

An Illinois watermelon harvest, 1946.

Wallace Kirkland/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A little boy eating watermelon by the handful while sitting on a pile of melons, 1946.

Wallace Kirkland/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon harvesting, 1943.

Wallace Kirkland/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon harvest, 1943.

Wallace Kirkland/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Scene from a watermelon harvest, 1943.

Wallace Kirkland/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon-eating contest, New Jersey, 1960

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

After the watermelon-eating contest, New Jersey, 1960.

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon eating contest in New Jersey, 1960.

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon contest, 1960.

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Watermelon contest, 1960.

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon contest, 1960.

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon-eating contest, New Jersey, 1960.

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Watermelon-eating contest winners Barbara Walp, 10, and Willy Jones, 13, were crowned king and queen of the watermelon festival by Miss New Jersey, Susan Barber, 1960.

Joe Scherschel/LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post Seeds of Inspiration: Wonderful Watermelon Moments appeared first on LIFE.