Humanitarian.

James R. Bowsher (1948–2024)

From interviewing members of the Ku Klux Klan at age 12 to scouring the wreckage of James Earl Ray’s childhood home, Jim Bowsher’s insatiable curiosity and unmitigated passion for history have shaped and informed his life for more than half a century. His home in Wapakoneta, Ohio, is a living museum of eclectic objects that each carry a story—sometimes personal, sometimes historically significant, always fascinating. An artist, archaeologist, collector and storyteller, Jim is above all a humanitarian. His works, including the 2-acre rock garden known as The Temple of Tolerance and the pavilion Memorial to Ohio War Dead, are testaments to Jim’s belief that “there are no ‘ordinary’ people, only extraordinary individuals.”

Photo by Merrilee Luke-Ebbeler.