The interior of the Ben Silver shop on King Street is unique – instead of hanging racks of clothing, the walls are covered with photos of baseball greats.

Of course there are other photos – iconic celebrities and world leaders, American presidents – but mostly, the club-like atmosphere is a result of the photos of giants of the great American pastime.

Bob Prenner was a serious baseball fan. He loved the game. Raised in Rochester, New York, his home team was the Triple A Rochester Red Wings, the farm club of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1929 to 1956, and the oldest continuously operating sports franchise in North America below the major league level.

The Red Wings faced lean times during Bob’s high school days when local Rochesterians formed the Rochester Community Baseball company and sold shares to raise money to buy the team and the stadium to assure it would never leave the city. It remains a publicly owned company, and for pennies, Bob had shares in the team, along with a proper stock certificate.