Galveston County Museum has opened a new exhibit, Rain in Our Hearts, featuring photographs from the Vietnam War. The museum is also proud to announce its summer participation as a Blue Star Museum. The Blue Star Museum program provides free admission to military personnel and their families between the dates of May 20th and September 4th.
Among the museum’s exhibits this summer is Rain in Our Hearts by Army veteran, James “Jim” Allen Logue. Jim, whose biography is below, was drafted by the United States Army to serve during the Vietnam war. A professional photographer at that time, Jim took his camera with him and captured the day-to-day life of his company members in the field. His exhibit, Rain in Our Hearts features 56 of these photos.
James “Jim” Logue was born in Camden, New Jersey during July of 1947. His passion for photography began in grade school and he would submit photos he took of school events to the local newspaper. After graduation, Jim attended the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbra, California. And following that, he opened his own studio, operating out of Pitman Camera Stop and began his career in professional photography.
In 1969, Jim received a letter from the United States’ Army, and he served in the Vietnam war from May 19th of that year until May 18, 1971. Among the equipment that he carried in the field was his camera and he took photos almost everyday he was there. Unlike the battle images captured by the press, Jim’s photos were of day-to-day life for his company. He would ship his film home for his father to print and receive a proof sheet and a new roll of film back 6 days later. Almost 3,000 photos total make up this collection.
Forty years after his time in the Vietnam war ended, Jim began to sort through the photos he had taken in the field. He self-published a book through Blurb of 415 wartime photos at the advice of his good friend (and former company member) Ben Perry and his psychologist. The book was taken to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was attending a Thirty First Infantry reunion. There he met Gary Ford. Gary was an author, trying to identify a member of Jim’s company. After seeing Jim’s book he ask if he was willing to work with him on a future project.
The project, which would later be known as Rain in Our Hearts, began in 2011. Over the span of the next 5 years, Gary and Jim would travel across the country to interview 71 living company members that were willing to be featured in their book. They would ask questions about the veteran’s life before the war, recall memories that brought laughter and tears, and meet their family if they were present. The book was published in 2020.
Jim is married to Jeanne Delaney, and he has two kids with her and two from a previous marriage. He returned to his photography career after the war and opened 23 more studios across the country. He also worked the U.S. Naval Academy taking pictures of the midshipmen. He is now living in Florida and enjoying retirement with his family.
About Galveston County Museum
The Galveston County Museum is located inside the Galveston County building at 722 Moody/21st Street. The museum is free to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 to 4 pm. Parking is free around the building. Private tours and research appointments areavailable. For more information, visit www.galvestoncountyhistory.org or call 409.766.2340.
The Galveston County Museum cares for over 25,000 artifacts and archives. The vast majority of the artifacts have been donated by current and former county residents. Recent donations include a prehistoric knife found during the construction of the Hitchcock Naval Station, a pen and inkwell used by photographer and artist Jesus Murillo (1895-1971), and Mardi Gras costumes. The museum staff is always happy to talk with people interested in donating artifacts to the collection.
