Ross Kapstein, a retired inner city History teacher, has spent time as a singer, songwriter, bass player, and manager of the late Georgia Blues Great, Willie Guy Rainey. His rap song, Run GNP, created to help students learn basic economic principles, was featured in a 1989 Time Magazine article. His current CD Better Late Than Never features the song Rodeo Cowboy Star, a tribute to the life of C.R. Williams. Since his retirement, he has become an antique and art dealer and was featured in a Worthpoint Feature Story. When not playing tennis, fishing, singing, or attending his son’s sporting events, he finds himself frequenting flea markets and garage and estate sales in the Atlanta area and beyond. He calls himself an eclectologist and paperabilist specializing in old photographs, especially if they have historical significance.
When Ross acquired this collection, he was amazed by the amount of historical photographs and material and determined to see that it would not go unnoticed. In his words, “I became a fan and admirer of American Rodeo and Western History and knew this collection found the right person.” As a History and Geography teacher he was always intrigued by how people survive, adapt, and thrive in an ever changing world. The American Rodeo Cowboy and Cowgirl fit that profile. Not only did the rodeo thrive, but all those involved have maintained a genuine determination to preserve this way of life.
