[AT] Now there was a true collector of Toys...

[Herbert Metz]

Steve
Thanks for sharing.
We all lose when good people like  Mr. Littlefield pass on prematurely.
If one is in the area, a definite MUST is a nice, not real large, working
railroad museum in Portola; we spent a couple enjoyable hours there several
years ago.   Several members were there doing some light maintenance,
etc.(getting their hours in), so it became very educational for us.
Herb

> [Original Message]
> From: Steve W. <falcon at telenet.net>
> To: Slick List <slick at toltbbs.com>; ATIS LIST
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Date: 1/11/2009 11:30:26 PM
> Subject: [AT] Now there was a true collector of Toys...
>
> http://www.mishalov.com/littlefield-6jan07/
>
> Published in the San Jose Mercury News on 1/9/2009
>
>
> Jacques Mequet Littlefield Tank Scholar and Collector, Jacques Mequet
> Littlefield, who assembled one of the largest private collections of
> military vehicles in the world and championed open space in the mid-
> Peninsula, has died in Portola Valley, California. He was 59 years old
> and had battled cancer for the past decade. Jacques' fascination with
> armored vehicles began in his childhood when he started building
> plastic models of tanks. While in college, he built his first scale
> model, radio-controlled tank. He acquired his first full-sized vehicle
> in 1975. In 1998 Jacques set up the Military Vehicle Technology
> Foundation to manage his collection of over one hundred fifty vehicles
> and restore new additions.
> The collection ranges from a World War II era U.S. Army M3A1 wheeled
> scout car, the first acquisition, to a Soviet-era mobile Scud Missile
> launcher, and includes such famous tanks as the U.S. Sherman and Patton
> class; U.K. Centurion, Conqueror and Chieftain; German WWII vehicles
> including a Panther; and Soviet-era Russian tanks.
>
> The complete inventory is available at www.milvehtechfound.com.
>
> Jacques was considered a scholar and expert on the history of armored
> warfare and the foundation helps serve the interests of authors,
> historians, educators, the defense industry, veterans groups, model
> makers and the entertainment industry. The collection is housed at
> Pony Tracks Ranch in the hills above Portola Valley, which the family
> acquired in the mid-1970s.
> Pony Tracks was the country estate of former San Francisco mayor and
> California governor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, Jr. Over the years, Jacques
> restored many of the old buildings on the ranch, such as the stables,
> and acquired additional property helping to maintain open space in the
> hills above Portola Valley.
>
> Jacques was the son of the late Edmund Wattis Littlefield and Jeannik
> Mequet Littlefield. He was born November 21, 1949 in San Francisco,
> California. His father was CEO of Utah International and served on
> many corporate boards during his career. He is survived by his mother,
> a strong supporter of the arts and a member of the Chairman's Council
> of the San Francisco Opera; his brother, Edmund Littlefield, Jr.; and
> sister, Denise Littlefield Sobel. Jacques also is survived by his
> wife, Sandy Montenegro Littlefield, and five children: David, Scott,
> Allison, Jacques Jr. and Jeannik, and one grandson, Kingsley.
>
> Jacques grew up in Burlingame and attended Cate School in Carpinteria,
> California before studying at Stanford University where he received
> his Bachelor's degree in 1971 and an MBA two years later. He worked
> for Hewlett Packard as a manufacturing engineer before focusing solely
> on building his museum and restoration facility. Jacques served on the
> boards of the George S. Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Cate
> School, the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, the Hoover
> Institution, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Filoli Center.
> He was a member of the Bohemian Club and Captain of the Sempervirens camp.
>
> A viewing will be held at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Directors, 980
> Middlefield Rd in Palo Alto, on Saturday, January 10, 3:00 to 6:00, and
> a public memorial service for Jacques will be scheduled for the near
> future.
>
> In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to one of the
> organizations Jacques supported:
> The Patton Museum, Cate School, the Coyote Point Museum for
> Environmental Education, the California Academy of Sciences, the
> Hoover Institution or the Filoli Center.
>
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