Jacques Littlefield...
 

....has died. He was 59.

Jacques was one of the premier armour collectors in the world, his collection more complete/restored than any other individual or organisation (save perhaps Allan Cors). Luckily for us, he established a foundation before his death, so it's likely most of his amazing artifacts will remain together and accessible.

I'm just sorry he never got to see his Panther fully restored - that was one of his pet projects, lasting many years and costing untold sums.

I never met Jacques, but know many who have... and never a more down-to-earth individual will you ever meet.

RIP, Jacques... you will be missed. :remember

http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_o...-19492009.html

A true loss to the community. Littlefield, and other private collectors/restorers do more for the preservation of our materiel history than any 10 museums combined.

Jacques Littlefield Passes Away
 

I received this from a Tank enthusiast and thought that it perhaps had a place on the forum. The video link is from U Tube showing his Panther on its first drive.. Sounds NICE.!!

"This video is posted in memory of Jacques Littlefield our friend and leader who passed away January 7th, 2009. He will always be remembered for his intense passion and interest in all things tracked and armored."

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=KauAxw...eature=channel


I know very little about his collection but have received some pics which I will post ASAP. Looks like a great collection that will hopefully stay together..
He seemed like he was very respected in the US..

Part of His Collection
 

These pics were sent along as well..

The collection will remain intact continue to be accessible:

"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(c)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

I am sorry to hear Jacques died. I've met him once, briefly, and to me he seemed a very likeable and knowledgeable man.

It would be great if his collecton of AFVs will remain largely intact, but the key sentence in the MVTF's letter is "In his will, Jacques created an endowment for the MVTF that will allow us time to transition to a self sustaining organization." So here's hoping that a person with the same sort of means will "adopt" Jacques' legacy.

H.