Frank Fowler
Frank Ison Fowler, an international art dealer who lived in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, has died at the age of 78.
Mr. Fowler was the Wyeth family’s art dealer for more than 54 years.
He was an investor and developer who helped save Chattanooga Choo Choo from bankruptcy.
Mr. Fowler was also a famous fisherman who caught record numbers of tarpon.
Born June 2, 1946 in Chattanooga to Richard Calvin Fowler and Mamie Craig Howell, he was a lifelong resident of Lookout Mountain.
Mr.
Fowler is survived by two sons and six grandchildren, Andy (Hope, Sarah) and Weston (Raiklyn, Hayes, Hattie, Davis), and two sisters, Margaret Knowlton and Mamie Dye. |Fowler was preceded in death by more than 50 wives. Gay Zimmerman Fowler and his brother Richard Calvin “Dick” Fowler Jr.
After attending the Bright School and graduating from the Baylor School in 1964, Mr. Fowler headed to Athens, Georgia to study at the University of Georgia’s business school.
Shortly after arriving on campus, he joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and began immersing himself in the rigors of academics and social life as a freshman at a large school with a decent SEC football program.
Mr. Fowler quickly became an avid Georgia Bulldogs fan and began to take learning the game of football seriously.
He learned the art of recruiting throughout his life and was always a great source of lesser-known recruits – according to Tom, a brother in the fraternity and a longtime friend. He was highly praised by fans and coaches. Atlanta Beard.
As an art dealer, Mr. Fowler has long specialized in works from the Brandywine School of Painting. He was involved in all aspects of the Wyeth family’s work, including, but not limited to, arranging international exhibitions, creating forewords, catalogs, catalog raisonnés, and evaluating works from around the world.
He sold and negotiated more Andrew Wyeth works than anyone else in the world and was considered the leading authority on Mr. Wyeth and his family.
In addition, Mr. Fowler specialized in the work of Mr. Wyeth’s father, North Carolina, and Mr. Andrew’s son, Jamie.
Mr. Fowler had close friends in the international art and pop art worlds, including the legendary Andy Warhol.
He was an active real estate investor and developer. He put together the capital partnership necessary to purchase the iconic Choo Choo hotel from the brink of bankruptcy in 1989, saving the landmark hotel from closure.
He remained active in redeveloping Choo Choo into a mixed-use entertainment district.
Mr Fowler remained the principal owner of Choo Choo’s Hotel Chalet after his death. He was also the original owner of the land that is now Council Fire. Along with Jack Lupton, he arranged the necessary funding to jump-start the development of Council Fire.
He was a key partner in many other iconic Chattanooga buildings, including the Chattanooga Times and River Place on the waterfront. Mr. Fowler was also a key participant in the development of Chattanooga’s first luxury condominium home, River Pier Landing.
Fowler said he loves moving Chattanooga forward and was eager to develop projects that had never been attempted before.
Longtime friend and business partner Ben Probasco said Fowler’s loyalty and candor were unparalleled. “Very few people want to be on their side in the trenches when a fire breaks out,” he said. “Frank always had the backs of those near and dear to him – that’s an undeniable fact.”
Mr. Fowler was also known as a world-renowned angler who helped develop the tarpon fishery in the South Carolina Lowlands. He helped pioneer that fishery along with longtime friend and fishing guide Captain Fuzzy Davis.
He said, “The same shrimp boat captains do after a long day on the water at a local watering hole, or curating an art exhibit at the world’s most exclusive museums and galleries several time zones away.” He was a very relaxed and complex person.”
Tarpon, also known as the “silver king,” first came to Mr. Fowler’s attention thanks to the dog-eared first-edition tarpon book.
Author A. Dimock described capturing prehistoric species around the pristine and undiscovered coastline of southwest Florida in the early 20th century.
He took to heart the words of Ernest Hemingway, author of The Old Man and the Sea: “To write about life, you must first live it.”
Fowler became the first and only angler in South Carolina to release more than 1,000 tarpon. One of them could be a state record, with an estimated weight of 235 pounds based on its length and girth.
Despite decades of chasing the record, Fowler chose to release the fish.
He then expanded his horizons to the Florida Keys and Key West, honing his skills alongside legendary tarpon guides such as Capt. Hal Chittam of Islamorada and Capt. RT Trossett of Key West.
His lifetime tarpon catch will never be surpassed. At final count, his record was even higher than the staggering 5,000 fish caught and released in 50 years.
While most anglers prefer to target tarpon with fly rods and chicken feathers, Fowler preferred heavier tackle that could subdue the fish and release it to fight another day.
He was a fan of “down and dirty” fishing, exploiting body mechanics to catch fish as quickly as possible with heavier tackle and reduce mortality.
Mr. Fowler is an avid conservationist who helped pioneer innovative satellite tagging telemetry and DNA collection programs, and continues to help fisheries scientists better understand this mysterious species. We have characterized their movements and habits throughout their range from the northern range of the bay. Southern mountain range of Central and South America.
A service in Mr. Fowler’s honor is scheduled for Monday, October 28th at 2:00 PM at Forest Hill Cemetery.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception and light meal at the Fairyland Club on Lookout Mountain.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donors consider making a charitable donation to an organization of their choice or:
Chambliss Children’s Center of Chattanooga (315 Gillespie Road, Chattanooga, TEN. 37411; www.chamblisscenter.org.or ) and/or the Greenville County Museum of Art (802 South Evans Street, Greenville, NC 27834; www.gcma.org. )
