It is with great sadness that we must say goodbye to one of the last great icons of decoy collecting. Joe French passed away peacefully at his Florida Keys home on Sunday May 3, 2009. Joe once said “ The great thing in this decoy business is the people”. He was actively involved with decoy collecting since the 1950's, telling Joe Tonelli just the day before he passed, he had received the decoys he purchased at the April Guyette & Schmidt sale and couldn't wait to open the box! He still possessed that thrill of getting a new decoy.
A true gentleman, French attended every decoy show he could and went out of his way to help other collectors. These last years he worked earnestly to document his decoy collecting experiences in a running series of articles first in Decoy Magazine and then Hunting & Fishing Collectibles, sharing his vast knowledge gained through years of collecting. As he visited other decoy collectors across the country, he documented their decoys with slides, many of which he compiled in a video, Decoys- Fabulous American Folk Art. French was always an ardent supporter of museums and especially the Ward Brothers Foundation, donating his time, and great decoys in his effort to save decoys for posterity. With this in mind, the family has requested donations be sent to the Ward Foundation lieu of flowers as a private family service will be held for Joe on the ocean he loved.
There is no way to recount the many ways Joe French has enriched our lives and I am sure many collectors feel that same way. He will always be remembered fondly and with great appreciation for his contributions to the hobby we all share. This quote that comes to mind:
“I'm certainity not planning on leaving this world soon, hopefully, but it really bugs me that some fellows like Otto Garren, Bob Weeks, Ed Childs, Bill Mackey, Willis Pennington, Gene Connett and others left this world without me telling them to their face how much I and all of you have appreciated them and what they contributed to decoy collecting. It doesn't help them now to say all the nice things they deserve. So to all of you who have given of themselves, their decoys or their time to help decoying or other collectors THANKS!. If I have been able to help you or save a few decoys for posterity, it was my pleasure.” Joseph B French
The prospective of Joseph French's decoy collection coming into the market as added a new air of excitement to the the upcoming 'East Coast Decoy Marathon'. There will a sampling of Crowell and Boyd miniatures offered at Harmon's Decoys Unlimited auction on the Cape. While Copley Sporting Art Auction doesn't have any of the French collection Steve O'Brien has an outstanding grouping of Crowell miniatures and full size decoys. Guyette & Schimdt are waiting until their Spring Auction held at Pheasant Run, St Charles, Illinois to offer the bulk of the French collection. However during their July Auction they will hold a Preview Reception featuring the highlight of April sale and honoring Joseph B French. Visit the individual auction sites for more information
Jon and Laurie Sarver who put on the Chillicothe Decoy Show have announced that the show has been cancelled. This one day summer was a nice break for collectors in Illinois and will be missed. A special thanks to Jon and Laurie for all the work they did putting on this event. Good news though! John Vulcani and his bride-to-be, Stephanie have stepped up to the plate and organized a new show that will be held on Sunday August 9, 2009 at the Celebrations 150 banquet hall. Hours are 8 am - 3pm with set up at 7 am. Tables will be $40 for one 8 foot table and $35 for each additional tables. General admission is $2. This hall is a great place for a one day show: large display room with good lighting, air conditioning, on site concession, plenty of parking and located less than a mile off US Rte 80 at exit 81. There a number of good newer motels just west on US Rte 80 exit 74, Peru, Illinois. For anoyone who wants to make this a family mini-vacation the Grand Bear Lodge located by near by Starved Rock State Park is offering attendees a special rate that inclues a room for 4 with complimentry passes to their Amusement Park and Water Park. Click here to view show flyer or contact John Hope to see a good turn out. Of course Joe and I will be exhibiting.
Got lots of good feedback on the virtual tour of our collection. Hope everyone has a chance to view it under our collections link above. For those who commented that the slide shows move too quickly, I have been playing with a new program that will let you view the slides at your own speed. Use Slideshows link above. Now anyone can stop the slide show for a closer look and restart the show again. I will be adding slide shows as I can develope them. Hope you enjoy the show!
Joe and I a wonderful time hunting in Saskatchewan. I have created a MySpace (search under 'oldsquaw47@yahoo.com') with photos and video clips of some of our hunts if anyone is interested. I've also started listing again on E Bay. Click on For Sale link above for my Fish-N-Fowl active auctions.
Would like to remind everyone that Joe Tonelli offers a brokering service to decoy collectors. If you are looking for a certain piece to round off your collection or just getting started, Joe has been dealing in waterfowling decoys and gamecalls for 40 years and is always willing to pay cash for one decoy or an entire collection. He handles waterfowl and fish decoys, gamecalls, tackle, cover art, and related folk art. Also as Midwest representative of Guyette & Schmidt Decoy Inc, Joe is qualified to do insurance and estate appraisals. He can be reached at 605-481-2811 or 815-664-4580
Just a quick reminder my collectibles books are available here and make great gifts. Each has a broad selection of sporting collectibles featured in high quality full color photography. Use my Books link for information on all of my books on hunting and fishing collectibles. Click here for printable order form for all my books under BOOKS link. I always have books on hand and will personalize one for you. Remember books make great gifts. Surprise your sportsman with a copy. Even if he isn't a collector, he will still enjoy it! Sorry I'm not set up to accept credit cards; personal check or money order will do.
SO ORDER YOURS TODAY!!!
Also I would like to invite you all to join me on a journey into the past with a new project I have started: The History of the MDCA
This will be an ongoing series of articles beginning in the beginning with the first show held in Ottawa Illinois, May 7 1966. I have gathered together lots of photos and information from this show that I think you will find interesting
