friend Jerry Donnell

[edisonplayer]

Hi,Does anyone remember my friend Jerry Donnell? He was a great help in my collecting.edisonplayer

[phonogfp]

I never met Jerry personally, but we corresponded from the mid 1980s through the mid 1990s. I received a phone call from him in about 1997 but haven't heard from him since.

George P.

[outune]

I'm assuming you mean the Jerry Donnell that used to live on Capital Hill in D.C. ??? As of about 10 years ago, he was living in Harper's Ferry, WVA. Great guy-- Drove his Model A Ford around town as his "everyday car"-- Early in my collecting "career", I met Jerry and visited his house in D.C. There was great phonograph stuff in every corner! A couple years later when I hadn't seen much more than the typical Edisons and Victors, Jerry helped me identify an "unknown" machine I had picked up. I was taking my wife on a weekend trip for our wedding anniversary and stopped in an antique shop. I literally tripped over a machine that was on the floor and pushed under a table. I had no clue what it was (young and stupid), but saw it was a cylinder machine that looked like an Edison. It was missing much of it's wooden case, but the works were intact-- covered in dirt and chicken poop-- It had this strange governor thing sticking up on top I bought it and we were on our way to a romantic getaway near Cacapon Lake--- which took us through Harper's Ferry and it took just a couple questions to townfolk, to find Jerry's door. I knocked on the front door and immediately heard a loud- "Who the h--- is it?" Quickly followed by--"Aw! Who cares! Come on in!!" After reacquainting and some small talk, Jerry looked at my new find..After a few minutes of "oooohing" and drawn out "Oh my Gawds",(he's very animated) he began excavating through the grime to uncover the "Class M" tag. He rummaged around in a cabinet in his kitchen and pulled out a Frow book to show me that I was the proud owner of a first style Edison Class M. Then-- handed me a box saying-- "You need this more than I do." In the box was a very nice, complete Automatic Reproducer. I offered to buy it, but he insisted that I take it.
I kept in touch for a while after that, but work, kids and other encumbrances took me away from phonos for a while. I'd love to know how he's doing.

Brad

[edisonplayer]

Hi.In recent years Jerry's health hasn't been very good.When I would call him he'd tell me;"All I do is lay in bed and watch TV".It'd just break my heart to hear Jerry say that.But,I like to think of the good memories and the good times I had.He gave me several nice things,including a C-250 Diamond Disc.Jerry named it"Donna Faye"and told me about Minerva Witz,the original purchaser of the C-250 in 1919.I have a plate with the store it came from;E.F Droop and Sons.This has the Duncan stop.Also a Credenza and a rare Edison P-1 portable from 1929.I bought my Triumph E from Jerry.Jerry Donnell has been SUCH a blessing to me!edisonplayer

[Kirkwood]

Hard to believe I missed this entire post.

I have known Jerry for years, he is one of the first collectors I met when I moved to Washington DC back in 1979. He was, let's say a colorful character, but very knowledgeable and very generous with his expertise. His Model A Ford sedan was his daily driver to a job he held at the Pentagon, and he would park it on the street near his Capital Hill townhouse. You could walk by there on a summer evening, the windows would be wide open and the Duo Art upright would be playing for all to hear---or perhaps the Edison Amberola or some other nifty bit of musical history. He was a non-conformist piece of walking history in a neighborhood (and city) where a kind of stodgy conformity was the rule, although most of his neighbors seemed to like him (or at least they tolerated him.)

He actively collected all manner of antique items, but mostly phonographs and records, and he didn't care at all for radios or any electrically operated phonographs. I lived several blocks away in a sketchy part of Capital Hill, but would visit him often, and would chat with him on the phone at times. As a budding collector, I bought a few things from him, and in turn I sold him things over the years. This included an Edison Chippendale upright with the Duncan stop that once belonged to Granny Witz. Talk about a small world, right? I met a number of other collectors via Jerry, and my resumption of collecting is due in part to his nudging me into things I wouldn't have bought otherwise.


Sometime in the late 1980s, he sold his house on Capital Hill and moved to Harper's Ferry, probably about the same time as he retired. He seldom ventured back into Washington after he moved, and I was sucked into that working world where free time isn't exactly free anymore, so I didn't see him as often as I would have liked. The last time I got out to Harper's Ferry was just before Christmas in 1988. As I understand from friends, Jerry continued to collect steadily, but wasn't as fast to sell or trade things as he once had been. The house filled up gradually, and it's by no means just a small house. The phonographs were his "children" and he couldn't bear to part with most of them.


In recent years, Jerry had been slipping into a kind of inertia, such that he seldom left the bed, nor would he venture down the stairs. His health had continued to decline, and he suffered a few falls, which put soon put him into the healthcare system. As I understand it, he is in a rehab facility but isn't responding well to any physical therapy. For those of us that knew him, it is probably best to remember Jerry as he was: an entertaining old curmudgeon who at 55 years old (when I met him) seemed more like 70, who freely taught us what he could about vintage phonographs and the times that brought them about, way back before we could so easily extract the dry facts from a mere Google search.

[Kirkwood]

It is with great sadness that I have received the news that Jerry passed away in the hospital this morning following a long illness. He was just a few weeks shy of his 88th birthday. I will always remember and treasure this unique and generous man, the one who nurtured my renewed interest in antique phonographs and records back in 1980.

[phonogfp]

I'm sorry to learn of Jerry's death. I wish I had taken the opportunity to meet him personally. His letters and phone conversations were certainly entertaining. No doubt he was a good fellow to know. Rest in peace.

George P.

[outune]

Thanks for letting us know of Jerry's passing. Though I didn't stay in close contact with him, the visits to his home in D.C. and later in Harper's Ferry are treasured memories. He was truly a one-of-a-kind individual who was always willing to share a good story, or his knowledge of antique cars and phonographs. Rest well, Jerry.

Brad Abell

[edisonplayer]

I was SO sorry to learn of Jerry's passing.Rest in peace,old friend.edisonplayer

[edisonplayer]

I was SO sorry to learn of Jerry's passing.He was a dear friend with a wonderful sense of humor,and a big help with my collecting.He was very full of knowledge about records and phonographs.God rest you,old buddy.Gary Mattscheck Does anyone know what happened to his collection?His phone was disconnected.Is there an exectutor to Jerry's estate?