John Otis had a lifetime interest in geography and, and in 1963, began purchasing maps of
Wisconsin's counties. In 1967, underwent a hernia operation, and as part of his therapy, he
rode city buses. Otis became interested in the church steeples he saw along the routes, and
began photographing them. His coverage quickly expanded beyond the city of Milwaukee, and he
began collecting church histories in 1969. Mr. Otis died in 2002 at age 89.
