Featured My Dad passed away: A Tribute (numismatic related)

GoldenLager · Dec 24, 2015

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like a remarkable man, and a great tribute by you. Thanks for sharing.

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kaparthy · Jan 1, 2016

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

royster · Jan 21, 2016

Thank you for sharing you fathers interesting life. He certainly lived a full life and i could feel you were very proud of him. I lost my dad in Jan 1995 and though he lived a very short life he to lived it to the fullest and even 26 years later i think of him daily. I'm sorry for the late reply and wish you and your family my condolences. Sincerely Roy..

sprag · Jan 31, 2016

My condolences. You sure did have a bright and intelligent father. God bless my friend.

Jerry Curtis · Jan 31, 2016

What a wonderful tribute to your father. Thank you for sharing a glimpse into his life and accomplishments. I know you feel sadness at his passing, but you should also feel pride in the example he set for you and future generations. My sincere condolences to you and family.

chuck123 · Feb 1, 2016

What a wonderful story to share. My condolences on your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this trying time. The coins and cars will always be great reminders of him. I can see you and your family driving down the road taking the kids or grandkids to a bourse in a classic car with your dad looking down on you with a big old smile on his face.

Morgandude11 · Feb 1, 2016

This is what I built so far for the frame. I Have the Cherry border, and a White background so far, and will be painting the background on it. Some of the joints are a bit crude, and I have to do some sanding, before finishing it with clear coat. I will be mounting airtites on the back, after I figure out the color and spacing:

Joan canova · Feb 15, 2016

dcarr said: ↑

A day after the recent Denver coin show my Dad, Wilfred J Carr, passed away. It was not unexpected, although it seemed a little sudden at the end. He was 89. He had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma over 12 years ago. The average life expectancy for that is about 4 years. So he survived longer than expected. He had good mental function right up until the day before last, although his health and physical abilities had been declining significantly over the last several months.

My Dad was not one who would normally spend more than face value for a coin. But he had collected coins from circulation in the early 1960s and had a pile of blue Whitman folders. included with that were a few Morgan and Peace silver dollars that he received on his many assignments in Nevada. About 1970, as a pre-teen, I was interested in the old coins and my Dad encouraged the hobby, even going so far as to help me buy several coins over the years. So I credit him with where I am today.
My Grandfather on my Dad's side was quite an interesting character. My Grandfather was an educator and a diplomat. My Dad told a story about when my Grandfather took my Grandmother and my Dad on a "sight seeing" trip to Germany in late 1938. Later in 1966 my Grandfather was outed by the Washington Post as having worked with the CIA.

My Dad joined the US Navy and they paid for him to attend Princeton and obtain a degree in Geology. He graduated in 1946 and at that point the Navy didn't need him anymore since WW2 was over, so he was honorably discharged. What a great deal !

He went to work for the US Geological Survey and had a long and interesting career with them. One of his assignments of note was instructing astronauts about geology in preparation for Moon landings. In February 1965 there were three groups of astronauts that my Dad worked with at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). My Dad is not shown in this picture, but this is a typical gathering. Reclined in the back (black pant legs up in the air) is Buzz Aldrin. On the right in the front is Neil Armstrong. At the time (1965) it was of course not known that these would be the first two people to walk on the Moon.

This issue of the NTS News recorded the project. My Dad is shown on the last page with the map.

My Dad was able to collect signatures of one group of the Astronauts on an unusual post card featuring a mushroom cloud:

Tragically, four of these astronauts died not long after:

Donn Eisele: Command Module pilot for the first Apollo flight (Apollo 7).

Alan Bean: Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 12 (the third person to walk on the Moon); Commander for the Skylab 3 mission.

Charlie Bassett: Never flew in space; Died tragically in a training jet crash with Elliot See on 28 February 1966 (about a year after the NTS training).

Gene Cernan: Pilot for Gemini 9; Orbited the Moon as Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 10; Commander of Apollo 17 - currently the last human to have walked on the Moon.

Clifton Curtis "CC" Williams: Never flew in space; Died tragically due to mechanical failure of his training jet on 05 October 1967.

Michael Collins: Pilot for Gemini 10; Command Module pilot for Apollo 11.
Walt Cunningham: Pilot for Apollo 7.

Elliot See: Never flew in space; Died tragically in a training jet crash with Charlie Bassett on 28 February 1966.

Roger B Chaffee: Died tragically during ground testing in the capsule of Apollo 1 on 27 January 1967.

Here is a photo of my Dad (pointing to the map). Another geologist is on the left. To the right of my Dad is Charlie Bassett and Walt Cunningham:

After the Astronaut training, my Dad went on to play a part in winning the "Cold War". His group studied the geology of potential underground nuclear testing sites. For a time he was stationed on Amchitka Island in the Alaskan Aleutians. One of the largest nuclear tests of all time was detonated under that island, not far from Russia. It is believed that someone made a serious mistake in not issuing radiation exposure badges for the workers there. Many people who worked there later developed Multiple Myeloma. Many years later the US Government offered a significant compensation payment to anyone who developed Multiple Myeloma and was able to show that they were on the island in 1970. One of the pieces of evidence we presented was this letter that my Dad wrote from Amchitka to my Grandfather in Tahiti ! This may be the only known surviving letter with an "Amchitka" postmark (that post office only operated for a short time during the testing). At the very least, this is probably the only letter ever mailed from the Aleutians to Tahiti:

One of my Dad's favorite hobbies was classic cars, especially GM models of the mid to late 1950s. That is where I get that from (although mine are generally GM "muscle" cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s).

I just spent many nostalgic hours going through things and coins I hadn't looked at in a long time. Here are some of the coins that I bought with the help of my Dad, or that I had picked out for him to buy. We generally had a somewhat limited budget, but we were able to pick up some nice things.

1938-D Indian Head nickel with nice pastel toning:

1939-D Jefferson nickel with even better pastel toning:

1897-S Morgan silver dollar:

Unusual 1881-O Morgan silver dollar with ultimate DMPL:

1921 Peace silver dollar with original ANACS photo certificate:

Key-date 1991 1/2-oz Gold Eagle that I told him to buy in 1992

1999 $50 1-oz Gold Eagle that I bought for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary in 1999. I made the text insert for the screw-together Capitol Plastics holder.

Scarce 1845 Seated Liberty silver dollar:

Nice 1908 Indian Head $10 gold purchased as an AU-55:

In lieu of flowers or specific donations or the like, we simply ask that everyone just bring back fond memories of their own departed family members.

Thanks for viewing this rather lengthy post.
Click to expand...

I read your entire post and found it not only interesting but heartfelt. I'm new to cointalk.com but not collecting. Your fond memories will help you heal. Very sorry for your loss. He left a great legacy.

world silver · Feb 25, 2016

i'm so sorry to hear about the death of your father may he rest in peace

CoinZone · Apr 8, 2016

Great story and a fine tribute to your dad. Very accomplished person.

Weavie · Apr 15, 2016

dcarr said: ↑

A day after the recent Denver coin show my Dad, Wilfred J Carr, passed away. It was not unexpected, although it seemed a little sudden at the end. He was 89. He had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma over 12 years ago. The average life expectancy for that is about 4 years. So he survived longer than expected. He had good mental function right up until the day before last, although his health and physical abilities had been declining significantly over the last several months.

My Dad was not one who would normally spend more than face value for a coin. But he had collected coins from circulation in the early 1960s and had a pile of blue Whitman folders. included with that were a few Morgan and Peace silver dollars that he received on his many assignments in Nevada. About 1970, as a pre-teen, I was interested in the old coins and my Dad encouraged the hobby, even going so far as to help me buy several coins over the years. So I credit him with where I am today.
My Grandfather on my Dad's side was quite an interesting character. My Grandfather was an educator and a diplomat. My Dad told a story about when my Grandfather took my Grandmother and my Dad on a "sight seeing" trip to Germany in late 1938. Later in 1966 my Grandfather was outed by the Washington Post as having worked with the CIA.

My Dad joined the US Navy and they paid for him to attend Princeton and obtain a degree in Geology. He graduated in 1946 and at that point the Navy didn't need him anymore since WW2 was over, so he was honorably discharged. What a great deal !

He went to work for the US Geological Survey and had a long and interesting career with them. One of his assignments of note was instructing astronauts about geology in preparation for Moon landings. In February 1965 there were three groups of astronauts that my Dad worked with at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). My Dad is not shown in this picture, but this is a typical gathering. Reclined in the back (black pant legs up in the air) is Buzz Aldrin. On the right in the front is Neil Armstrong. At the time (1965) it was of course not known that these would be the first two people to walk on the Moon.

This issue of the NTS News recorded the project. My Dad is shown on the last page with the map.

My Dad was able to collect signatures of one group of the Astronauts on an unusual post card featuring a mushroom cloud:

Tragically, four of these astronauts died not long after:

Donn Eisele: Command Module pilot for the first Apollo flight (Apollo 7).

Alan Bean: Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 12 (the third person to walk on the Moon); Commander for the Skylab 3 mission.

Charlie Bassett: Never flew in space; Died tragically in a training jet crash with Elliot See on 28 February 1966 (about a year after the NTS training).

Gene Cernan: Pilot for Gemini 9; Orbited the Moon as Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 10; Commander of Apollo 17 - currently the last human to have walked on the Moon.

Clifton Curtis "CC" Williams: Never flew in space; Died tragically due to mechanical failure of his training jet on 05 October 1967.

Michael Collins: Pilot for Gemini 10; Command Module pilot for Apollo 11.
Walt Cunningham: Pilot for Apollo 7.

Elliot See: Never flew in space; Died tragically in a training jet crash with Charlie Bassett on 28 February 1966.

Roger B Chaffee: Died tragically during ground testing in the capsule of Apollo 1 on 27 January 1967.

Here is a photo of my Dad (pointing to the map). Another geologist is on the left. To the right of my Dad is Charlie Bassett and Walt Cunningham:

After the Astronaut training, my Dad went on to play a part in winning the "Cold War". His group studied the geology of potential underground nuclear testing sites. For a time he was stationed on Amchitka Island in the Alaskan Aleutians. One of the largest nuclear tests of all time was detonated under that island, not far from Russia. It is believed that someone made a serious mistake in not issuing radiation exposure badges for the workers there. Many people who worked there later developed Multiple Myeloma. Many years later the US Government offered a significant compensation payment to anyone who developed Multiple Myeloma and was able to show that they were on the island in 1970. One of the pieces of evidence we presented was this letter that my Dad wrote from Amchitka to my Grandfather in Tahiti ! This may be the only known surviving letter with an "Amchitka" postmark (that post office only operated for a short time during the testing). At the very least, this is probably the only letter ever mailed from the Aleutians to Tahiti:

One of my Dad's favorite hobbies was classic cars, especially GM models of the mid to late 1950s. That is where I get that from (although mine are generally GM "muscle" cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s).

I just spent many nostalgic hours going through things and coins I hadn't looked at in a long time. Here are some of the coins that I bought with the help of my Dad, or that I had picked out for him to buy. We generally had a somewhat limited budget, but we were able to pick up some nice things.

1938-D Indian Head nickel with nice pastel toning:

1939-D Jefferson nickel with even better pastel toning:

1897-S Morgan silver dollar:

Unusual 1881-O Morgan silver dollar with ultimate DMPL:

1921 Peace silver dollar with original ANACS photo certificate:

Key-date 1991 1/2-oz Gold Eagle that I told him to buy in 1992

1999 $50 1-oz Gold Eagle that I bought for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary in 1999. I made the text insert for the screw-together Capitol Plastics holder.

Scarce 1845 Seated Liberty silver dollar:

Nice 1908 Indian Head $10 gold purchased as an AU-55:

In lieu of flowers or specific donations or the like, we simply ask that everyone just bring back fond memories of their own departed family members.

Thanks for viewing this rather lengthy post.
Click to expand...

Sorry for your loss brother

CoinHunter101 · Apr 17, 2016

dcarr said: ↑

A day after the recent Denver coin show my Dad, Wilfred J Carr, passed away. It was not unexpected, although it seemed a little sudden at the end. He was 89. He had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma over 12 years ago. The average life expectancy for that is about 4 years. So he survived longer than expected. He had good mental function right up until the day before last, although his health and physical abilities had been declining significantly over the last several months.

My Dad was not one who would normally spend more than face value for a coin. But he had collected coins from circulation in the early 1960s and had a pile of blue Whitman folders. included with that were a few Morgan and Peace silver dollars that he received on his many assignments in Nevada. About 1970, as a pre-teen, I was interested in the old coins and my Dad encouraged the hobby, even going so far as to help me buy several coins over the years. So I credit him with where I am today.
My Grandfather on my Dad's side was quite an interesting character. My Grandfather was an educator and a diplomat. My Dad told a story about when my Grandfather took my Grandmother and my Dad on a "sight seeing" trip to Germany in late 1938. Later in 1966 my Grandfather was outed by the Washington Post as having worked with the CIA.

My Dad joined the US Navy and they paid for him to attend Princeton and obtain a degree in Geology. He graduated in 1946 and at that point the Navy didn't need him anymore since WW2 was over, so he was honorably discharged. What a great deal !

He went to work for the US Geological Survey and had a long and interesting career with them. One of his assignments of note was instructing astronauts about geology in preparation for Moon landings. In February 1965 there were three groups of astronauts that my Dad worked with at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). My Dad is not shown in this picture, but this is a typical gathering. Reclined in the back (black pant legs up in the air) is Buzz Aldrin. On the right in the front is Neil Armstrong. At the time (1965) it was of course not known that these would be the first two people to walk on the Moon.

This issue of the NTS News recorded the project. My Dad is shown on the last page with the map.

My Dad was able to collect signatures of one group of the Astronauts on an unusual post card featuring a mushroom cloud:

Tragically, four of these astronauts died not long after:

Donn Eisele: Command Module pilot for the first Apollo flight (Apollo 7).

Alan Bean: Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 12 (the third person to walk on the Moon); Commander for the Skylab 3 mission.

Charlie Bassett: Never flew in space; Died tragically in a training jet crash with Elliot See on 28 February 1966 (about a year after the NTS training).

Gene Cernan: Pilot for Gemini 9; Orbited the Moon as Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 10; Commander of Apollo 17 - currently the last human to have walked on the Moon.

Clifton Curtis "CC" Williams: Never flew in space; Died tragically due to mechanical failure of his training jet on 05 October 1967.

Michael Collins: Pilot for Gemini 10; Command Module pilot for Apollo 11.
Walt Cunningham: Pilot for Apollo 7.

Elliot See: Never flew in space; Died tragically in a training jet crash with Charlie Bassett on 28 February 1966.

Roger B Chaffee: Died tragically during ground testing in the capsule of Apollo 1 on 27 January 1967.

Here is a photo of my Dad (pointing to the map). Another geologist is on the left. To the right of my Dad is Charlie Bassett and Walt Cunningham:

After the Astronaut training, my Dad went on to play a part in winning the "Cold War". His group studied the geology of potential underground nuclear testing sites. For a time he was stationed on Amchitka Island in the Alaskan Aleutians. One of the largest nuclear tests of all time was detonated under that island, not far from Russia. It is believed that someone made a serious mistake in not issuing radiation exposure badges for the workers there. Many people who worked there later developed Multiple Myeloma. Many years later the US Government offered a significant compensation payment to anyone who developed Multiple Myeloma and was able to show that they were on the island in 1970. One of the pieces of evidence we presented was this letter that my Dad wrote from Amchitka to my Grandfather in Tahiti ! This may be the only known surviving letter with an "Amchitka" postmark (that post office only operated for a short time during the testing). At the very least, this is probably the only letter ever mailed from the Aleutians to Tahiti:

One of my Dad's favorite hobbies was classic cars, especially GM models of the mid to late 1950s. That is where I get that from (although mine are generally GM "muscle" cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s).

I just spent many nostalgic hours going through things and coins I hadn't looked at in a long time. Here are some of the coins that I bought with the help of my Dad, or that I had picked out for him to buy. We generally had a somewhat limited budget, but we were able to pick up some nice things.

1938-D Indian Head nickel with nice pastel toning:

1939-D Jefferson nickel with even better pastel toning:

1897-S Morgan silver dollar:

Unusual 1881-O Morgan silver dollar with ultimate DMPL:

1921 Peace silver dollar with original ANACS photo certificate:

Key-date 1991 1/2-oz Gold Eagle that I told him to buy in 1992

1999 $50 1-oz Gold Eagle that I bought for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary in 1999. I made the text insert for the screw-together Capitol Plastics holder.

Scarce 1845 Seated Liberty silver dollar:

Nice 1908 Indian Head $10 gold purchased as an AU-55:

In lieu of flowers or specific donations or the like, we simply ask that everyone just bring back fond memories of their own departed family members.

Thanks for viewing this rather lengthy post.
Click to expand...

Those are some great coins!

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Featured My Dad passed away: A Tribute (numismatic related)

GoldenLager New Member

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kaparthy Well-Known Member

royster southroy

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Jerry Curtis Member

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Morgandude11 As long as it's Silver, I'm listening

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Featured My Dad passed away: A Tribute (numismatic related)

GoldenLager New Member

Guest User Guest

kaparthy Well-Known Member

royster southroy

sprag New Member

Jerry Curtis Member

chuck123 Active Member

Morgandude11 As long as it's Silver, I'm listening

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world silver New Member

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