Thurman ‘Jack’ Naylor, Pilot, Inventor, Photography Collector, Died at 88
By Megan • Nov 28th, 2007 • Category: News for Creatives (archives)by J.M. Lawrence for the Boston Globe:
“Thurman “Jack” Naylor, a World War II pilot and industrialist who invented an automotive thermostat that became the standard, parlayed his fortune into one of the greatest personal collections of cameras and photography in the world.
Mr. Naylor, 88, died in his sleep Monday at his home in Chestnut Hill. His 4,000 square-foot, climate-controlled basement once overflowed with 31,000 treasures ranging from rare daguerreotypes to tiny spy cameras to original images by Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, and Matthew Brady.
“His favorite thing – even more than getting the stuff – was taking people through the collection,” said author and photo historian Martin W. Sandler. “He could show it three times in one day and someone could show up at 5 at night and he’d still say, ‘Do you want to see the collection?’ “
Mr. Naylor, who suffered from spinal cancer, died weeks after selling his favorite pieces at auction in New York for more than $2 million. Family members worried about his health, but Mr. Naylor insisted on attending.
“We all knew it was his last hurrah,” said his daughter, Jan, of Laconia, N.H. “It wasn’t so much the auction that gave him joy. It was the fact that a lot of people recognized him. He got all the kudos he deserved before he died.”
Megan is a creative producer at Wise Elephant.
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