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Deleted96908
Guest
A few years ago I became associated with a gentleman by the name of Gordon Smith. He was the man behind Naval History - a tremendous online WW1-WW2 naval resource, which in his words was:
Gordon started the site many years ago and it has changed very little since, other than becoming much larger and it has to be said, ever more disorganised. All of which, those who knew him and his site, came to love, and most importantly, respect.
Sadly, Gordon died in December 2016 and his sons took over the running of the site. It's worth spending some time there, even if only remotely interested in naval history, given the large number of human interest stories, and if nothing else, it's a great place to find history on ships your predecessors might have sailed in.
Which brings me onto this very kind comment made by @optimusprime in the WW2 airplane quiz thread:
What a lovely thought, and I wish I had the time to do such a resource justice. Somebody's life work added to my own personal, under utilised collection, makes no sense at all. In fact Gordon at Naval History asked me much the same question of Naval History and we got very close, I got very close, to taking the site over. But it was too big a subject, too big a job for one person - as Gordon himself often attested.
So what of all the history that all of us make every day? The personal memories, momentos and knock knacks that we collect, store away and then... one day all is lost. Or at best, passed to our children, in the case of Gordon.
Ok, so my huge collection of vintage Patagonia clothes isn't of much interest to many, although my wife has threatened to start a dog blanket business with them - down to -30c, so pooch will be lovely and warm. But many other personal archives, either collected or accrued, are of immense value. But they often end up discarded without a second thought.
So I am wondering - given the huge amount of car knowledge that exists here, plus other professional or personal interests you might have - what your plans are for your life's work. Now I just know some of you will be thinking that your legacy is your children - but beyond that, humanity moves on not just via offspring, but because of the curation, inventions and or research that we collectively leave behind. (and not just that left within these distinguished pages)
So what are your plans? Have you collected and or curated stuff that you intend giving a life to beyond your own? Have you left instructions in your will as to how to something should be handled. Have you 'done a Gordon' and ensured your life long work lives on thanks to financial planning and efforts of your offspring.
Would love to know more - especially the practical details behind your thinking and planning.
Chris
.
Gordon started the site many years ago and it has changed very little since, other than becoming much larger and it has to be said, ever more disorganised. All of which, those who knew him and his site, came to love, and most importantly, respect.
Sadly, Gordon died in December 2016 and his sons took over the running of the site. It's worth spending some time there, even if only remotely interested in naval history, given the large number of human interest stories, and if nothing else, it's a great place to find history on ships your predecessors might have sailed in.
Which brings me onto this very kind comment made by @optimusprime in the WW2 airplane quiz thread:
My friend went all over the country for most of his life just taking photoes at every air show .He left lots of pictures of planes on discs when he passed away 2 years ago ,.His wife asked me if i wanted them at the time,, i said no ,, .I am not that interested in them, cars then the answer would have been yes. She may still have them if there is any interest i can ask .
What a lovely thought, and I wish I had the time to do such a resource justice. Somebody's life work added to my own personal, under utilised collection, makes no sense at all. In fact Gordon at Naval History asked me much the same question of Naval History and we got very close, I got very close, to taking the site over. But it was too big a subject, too big a job for one person - as Gordon himself often attested.
As a side note to Gordon's efforts, many public owned institutions often tapped Gordon up for photos and or data and used these in their own museums etc, and rarely, if ever credited him properly.
So what of all the history that all of us make every day? The personal memories, momentos and knock knacks that we collect, store away and then... one day all is lost. Or at best, passed to our children, in the case of Gordon.
Ok, so my huge collection of vintage Patagonia clothes isn't of much interest to many, although my wife has threatened to start a dog blanket business with them - down to -30c, so pooch will be lovely and warm. But many other personal archives, either collected or accrued, are of immense value. But they often end up discarded without a second thought.
So I am wondering - given the huge amount of car knowledge that exists here, plus other professional or personal interests you might have - what your plans are for your life's work. Now I just know some of you will be thinking that your legacy is your children - but beyond that, humanity moves on not just via offspring, but because of the curation, inventions and or research that we collectively leave behind. (and not just that left within these distinguished pages)
So what are your plans? Have you collected and or curated stuff that you intend giving a life to beyond your own? Have you left instructions in your will as to how to something should be handled. Have you 'done a Gordon' and ensured your life long work lives on thanks to financial planning and efforts of your offspring.
Would love to know more - especially the practical details behind your thinking and planning.
Chris
.