Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-21-2014 09:47 AM               

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It is with sadness that I share the news that space memorabilia collector Leon Ford passed away on Wednesday evening (Aug. 20).

Leon was the first member of collectSPACE. He was the first person to join these forums when they came online in 1999 and played an active role in shaping what this site would become during its early years.

I last saw Leon in May at Spacefest in Pasadena, where we spent a few minutes catching up and talking about the hobby.

My sincere condolences to his wife Donna, his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to Our Daily Bread Food Bank, P.O. Box 1476, Hammond, LA. 70404 or to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, Mail Code: ASF-1, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899.

Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

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From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002

Posts: 1043
From: Dallas
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 08-21-2014 09:58 AM               

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The world has lost a special man. Not a bad bone in his body.

Every time we hung up the phone he would say "Love ya, man". He was truly filled with love and will be sorely missed.

Posts: 1190
From: Northwest Indiana
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-21-2014 10:02 AM               

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Truly, one of the sweetest and dearest humans to ever have walked this planet. I am shattered by this. I have loved him like a brother, and will miss him, always. It was an honor to know him and call him my friend. Rest in peace, my dear, dear friend...

.

Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 08-21-2014 10:05 AM               

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Terrible and tragic news. A great loss to the hobby.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

Posts: 236
From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003

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From: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Registered: Nov 2008

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From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

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From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: May 2000

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From: New Jersey
Registered: Jul 2001

Posts: 194
From: Nauheim, Germany
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 08-21-2014 10:33 AM               

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Very sad to hear that a great friend has left us. I always enjoyed our talks and his great knowledge about the space program in the last decade. One of the greatest personalities I have ever met!

My sincere condolences to his his family and friends. RIP Leon.

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From:
Registered: Mar 2009

Posts: 1255
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 08-21-2014 11:06 AM               

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I first met Leon on the pages of this message board back in 1999. While it was a rather stormy relationship as so often occurred in those early years on the Internet, but over time, he taught me how kindness and openness is more important in helping elevate the hobby.

I met Leon in person for the first time in Burbank in 2004. As I was introduced to Leon, I told him that he could take the first punch. Leon offered me his hand instead. He became a truly close friend as he did so easily with so many of us. He was the epitome of a true Southern gentleman. His passing is a tremendous personal loss to so many of those who have had the lucky chance to meet and be his friend.

Leon, you will be missed.

Posts: 977
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006

Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-21-2014 11:23 AM               

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Although we never met he was very nice to me over email and even invited me to visit him when he was still in CO.

Very sad news.

Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001

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From: Netherlands
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From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2007

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From: Italy
Registered: Dec 2010

Posts: 7
From: Alamogordo, NM
Registered: Sep 2008

posted 08-21-2014 12:11 PM            

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Leon was a great friend and a true gentleman. I will miss our daily conversations, his wit, and his sage advice. There's an old saying about the measure of a man: It is not how he died, but how he lived. It is not what he gained, but what did he give. Those are the units to measure the worth of a man...as a man, regardless of birth.

Leon, you were priceless and you will be sorely missed. Godspeed brother!

Posts: 649
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Jun 2001

Posts: 2121
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 08-21-2014 12:58 PM               

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I'm truly shocked. As with Larry, I first met Leon at Burbank in 2004, I had talked to him via email a few times and was a friendly face in a sea of strangers when I arrived. He and Wally Schirra had me rolling up with his "primed" questions to Wally about his Jaguar car! I haven't had the opportunity to speak with him much in recent years but was always pleased to see his smiling face online (usually on AHOF images ). Our community is poorer for his passing.

My thoughts are with his family at this time. — Adam

Posts: 916
From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
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From: Wales, UK
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From: Midwest, USA
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From: Danville, Ohio
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From: Netherlands
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From: Denmark
Registered: Jun 2010

posted 08-21-2014 03:34 PM              

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I shared a drink with Leon at Spacefest in Pasadena and he was his usual smiling and happy self. What a huge loss.

David Scott (not the astronaut)

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 08-21-2014 04:40 PM               

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One of the great pleasures of attending space shows in the States was seeing Leon there. Such a wonderfully generous, gentle and interesting man; he will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. My sincere condolences to his family and friends on this incredibly sad and unexpected news. Our shared passion for space is all the poorer for his loss.

As an example of the type of person Leon was, the first time I met him was at Spacefest San Diego. While we were talking he asked if I was going to the dinner that night, but when I said I hadn't organised a ticket before I flew over he told me he had a spare and insisted I take it as it would otherwise go unused, and he would not hear of being paid for it. That night I got to sit at the table of Gene Kranz and enjoyed talking with the great man, which was a truly unforgettable experience. That story typifies for me the wonderful person that Leon was, and why I will always remember him and his kindness with great fondness.

Posts: 2169
From: McKinney TX (USA)
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From: uk
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From: Albany, Oregon
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