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DICK ALLEN- 1927 to 2007

Historian Created Jazz Archive

Jazz historian Dick Allen, whose scholarly command and knowledge of traditional New Orleans jazz was matched by his role as a French Quarter character, died April 12, 2007 at age 80,

He and Bill Russell began recording interviews with jazz musicians in the 1950s and this project eventually grew into the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University.

He also owned a record shop specializing in jazz, and was the author of numerous articles on the subject.

He also was one of the original founders of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival which draws thoiusands of people to the city every spring.

If you like jazz or American music, you owe a thanks to this man for preserving and pushing this music form.


RUSSELL KRUSE 1922-2007

Famed auctioneer of classic cars

Russell Kruse, who achieved fame auctioning classic cars died May 4, 2007, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He got into the auctioning business after his farm flooded two years in a row. After a two-week auction school, he went into it full-time. In 1971 he came up with the idea of selling classic vehicles at auction. Today, his company, Kruse International, holds 150 auctions all over the world, with $200 million in sales.

Some of the more famous ones he's sold: Greta Garbo's 1933 Duesenberg Victoria (he sold this one three times with a higher price each time), a bulletproof 1944 Mercedes-Benz 770K used by Nazi Hermann Goering, John Lennon's 1956 Bentley, and a couple Batmobiles.

Actually, the company makes even more money on its auctions of oil field equipment.

His company claims to be the first to sell an antique car for over $100,000, and the first to sell one for over $1 million. In 2004, they got $242,000 for a souped up 1970 Mustang.

If you're like me, and a big fan of old cars, this man did a lot to get people into it.