I knew Jim Rowe. I knew him well. He was an avid collector since he was a very young man. Mr Rowe and Mr. Brace were long time friends and collaborated on many projects. At some ooint Mr. Rowe acquired a number of negatives from Mr. Brace and he became more and more invovled in photograghy beginning in the 60's. He made photos for other collectors, many that were autographed. He corresponded with many of the baseball players as well, who requested photos of themselves to use to distribute to their fans. He also provided photos to the Baseball hall of fame in cooperstown for many oldtimers as they were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Mr Rowe himself was named as a honorary hall of famer for his many contributions. He was a walking encyclopedia of baseball statistics and trivia. He had a great talent for writing and would use that talent on many occasions to help promote some of the oldtimers into the hall of fame. So to answer your question. yes he was definitely a collector, and was one a a group of collector friends in the Chicago area to start the very first baseball collectors show. And yes, he believed that any man who wore the uniform, had a story to tell and was worth having a photo. And yes he was a die hard Cub fan, which is why many of his photos are Chicago based. Hope this helps.
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