An 82-year-old Florida man has spent seven decades collecting magazines, photographs and celebrity memorabilia; his one-man museum now includes a thank-you letter from Elizabeth Taylor
Others preserve old photos because they are sentimental. Others save a magazine because it reminds them of a certain time. But for Rudy Scaglione, collecting is a lifelong pursuit, a personal archive of seven decades of pop culture, Hollywood history and major world events. The Tampa resident, now 82, has amassed so many souvenirs he basically has built himself a museum.
A collection covering seven decades
According to BayNews9, Scaglione started collecting as a teenager, saving magazines, newspapers, photographs and other bits of memorabilia. What started as a hobby never really ended, and his collection has continued to grow through the years.The archive now features some of the most memorable moments in modern American history, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the September 11 attacks, the first moon landing and the civil rights movement, BayNews9 reports.Hollywood also takes up a substantial portion of his collection. Among his prized possessions are photographs and memorabilia associated with some of the industry’s best known stars, especially Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.
A personal museum for fellow citizens
The exclusive report by BayNews9 states that his collection was kept for years in plastic tubs and bookcases at his assisted living home. He recently decided it was time to bring some of that out into the open.The result was a pop culture exhibition at Brookdale Bayshore in Tampa, where tables groaning with photographs, publications and celebrity memorabilia turned the facility’s lobby into a walk through decades of history, the report adds.Millie Post helped Scaglione organize and display the pieces as fellow residents got to check out the collection, BayNews9 reports. The exhibition also evoked memories for many of photographs and publications they once owned but have since thrown away.For Scaglione, wading through the material has been a reminder of the amount of history he’s witnessed in his lifetime.
A Hollywood tie to hold
Of the thousands of items he has collected, one has special sentimental value: a thank-you note from Elizabeth Taylor, explains the online report.Scaglione sent flowers and a get-well card to the Hollywood actress while she was in hospital. Her response became one of his most treasured possessions, adding a special touch to his already vast collection from one of the legends of the cinema world.BayNews9 reports the rest of the archive has been collected over years of buying from newsstands, subscriptions to newspapers and magazines and online purchases.What started with a teenager collecting things he found interesting has become an amazing record of changing times. By sharing his collection with fellow residents, Scaglione has found a way to make those memories part of other people’s lives, too.Images Courtesy: istock, Wikipedia, and BayNews9
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