Its me Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I have just been informed about the sad passing of Jacques Littlefield, For those that dont know who he was,he was the owner of the worlds biggest privately owned military vehicle collection with all sorts of vehicles and im sure you will agree this is a terribly sad passing for the MV world and the saddest thing of all is the fact that he didnt even get to see the completion of his panther tank restoration. Kyle Quote
Rick W Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Thats a damn shame, he looked like he had a few more good years ahead of him yet. Will we see another collection broken up for auction? Quote
Runflat Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 I'm stunned at this news. This quote from the MVTF website (http://www.milvehtechfound.com/index.html) seems appropriate: Littlefield's major objective for the Foundation is to preserve the collection for the future: “For me, the important part of the tanks is understanding the industrial know-how that allowed them to be built, and then document those findings. There may not be much appreciation for them now, but hopefully after I'm gone people will look back and say, 'Thank God he saved these historical vehicles instead of just letting them rust away and disappear forever.” Amen to that and to Jacques. Quote
ArtistsRifles Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 What on earth happened??? This is the same Jacques Littlefield who had the Churchill Toad restored recently - yes?? Quote
ian2b Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Just read this over on the WW2 forum, bit more info on there http://www.wwiireenacting.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=49141 R.I.P Jacques Littlefield Quote
Richard Farrant Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 That is sad news. I met him several times, he was a very unassuming man. He visited my workshop once and took great interest in the vehicles there at the time. He was very enthusiastic in the engineering side of military vehicles. I would imagine the collection will be assured as it was set up as a foundation. Quote
Runflat Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) ...he was very enthusiastic in the engineering side of military vehicles. I would imagine the collection will be assured as it was set up as a foundation. It was certainly the technology that drove his passion. Here are a couple of articles about Jacques from 2001 and 2003: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/1224/074.html http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE2DB173AF93BA15752C1A9659C8B63 It would appear the future of the collection had been considered. He was only 60: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2009/01/jacques-littlefield-19492009.html Edited January 7, 2009 by Runflat Quote
toadmanstankpictures Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 Jacques Littlefield died today after a long battle with cancer. He was a heck of a guy who really did a lot for the military vehicle hobby. He will be missed. Quote
abn deuce Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 He made plans , I see from the articles, I hope that the collection will be protected and used as he hoped they would be . Sadly another Military historian and collector enthusiast has been taken too soon , I wonder how many like him will ever be . My condolences to his Family . Quote
Snapper Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 He always came across as an unassuming gentleman. No flashy stuff. What a bloody shame. I never met him. God bless him. MB Quote
Snapper Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 I've sent our condolences to Dave Marian, his engineer who did a interview for HMVF a while back. MB Quote
Jack Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks Snapper. He left hell of a legacy and perhaps we should learn something from that. Quote
Markheliops Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 Very sad. I fear as the years pass more well known people will sadly leave us. As the hobby grows the people who started are getting older, similar to the Vets. The best way to remember them are to remember the people who started this hobby of ours and look after their legacy, be it vehicles, books or other items associated with MV's. Markheliops Quote
Naruto Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 We didn't know Jacques personnaly. Rest in peace and the condolences to his Family . Hope that the collection will be perserved for many years. Quote
Big Al Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 I meet him last year at tank feast a very nice and down to earth gentleman will be sadly missed. Big Al Quote
Tankhatch Posted January 21, 2009 Posted January 21, 2009 Letter from the President Military Vehicle Technology Foundation January 20, 2009 Portola Valley, Ca Dear Friends of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, I am sad to announce that our long-time friend, the Foundation's founder, Jacques Littlefield, passed away on January 7, 2009. Shortly before his final hours he indicated satisfaction with the status and accomplishments of the Foundation and its most recent project, the just completed German Panther. Jacques acquired his first full-sized military vehicle, an M3A1 wheeled scout car, in 1975. By the late 1990s as the collection became more significant, he started to plan for its longer term preservation. In 1998, he created the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) as a non-profit corporation. The mission of the MVTF is to collect, preserve, restore, document and display armored fighting vehicles and their associated equipment. The MVTF serves the interests of authors, historians, educators, the defense industry, veterans groups, model makers and the entertainment industry. Over the last few years, Jacques and the board of directors had many discussions about the future of the MVTF. He made it clear that he wanted the Foundation and its activities to continue after his death. Last week, his children agreed that the Foundation should continue to develop, preserve and display the vehicles and the current items will be named the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection. Jacques' family, the staff of the MVTF, and the board were all greatly heartened by the expressions of interest in the future of the MVTF following the announcement of his death. The Board of Directors of the MVTF met following Jacques' death and elected new officers to continue his work. With the agreement and support of Jacques' children, the MVTF will continue to be housed at its current location in the hills above Portola Valley. Access to the collection by interested researchers and groups remains a critical element to continuing to fulfill the MVTF charter and mission. Therefore, many restoration projects, display enhancements and the tours will continue. In his will, Jacques created an endowment for the MVTF that will allow us time to transition to a self sustaining organization. The Board and the friends of the MVTF now have the opportunity and substantial responsibility to increase the endowment and manage the operating costs to ensure that Jacques' legacy collection continues to be available to provide its unique contributions. If you would like to make a donation to the MVTF in Jacques' memory and help preserve, display and have access to the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection, please consider sending a contribution to: MVTF P.O. Box 7390 Menlo Park, CA 94026 The MVTF is recognized by the (USA) IRS as a 501©3 corporation. Donations are considered fully tax-deductible as allowed by law. I hope you will join us in preserving and advancing Jacques' legacy. Sincerely, William A. (Bill) Boller President Military Vehicle Technology Foundation Sent by ----------- Liz Ditz Outreach Director, Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) MVTF website: http://www.milvehtechfound.com/ MVTF mailing address: P.O. Box 7390 Menlo Park, CA 94026 To make arrangements for tours: tours.mvtf@gmail.com To arrange access to the collection for commercial purposes: permissions.mvtf@gmali.com For any other issues: inquiries.mvtf@gmail.com The MVTF is recognized by the (USA) IRS as a 501©3 corporations. Donations are considered fully tax-deductible as allowed by law. Quote
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