It is with profound sadness that I inform you Bruce passed away early this morning.
The Model T Ford hobby owes more to Bruce McCalley than anyone. He was a prodigious researcher, compiler and publisher of Model T Ford car details for over 50 years. He freely shared his wealth of knowledge with all of us without reservation.
His rapier wit and raconteur were legendary amongst those who spent time with him personally.
With Bruce’s passing we are truly diminished and we shall never forget his selfless contribution.
He will always be in our thoughts.

Ron Patterson

Here is a photo of Bruce taken two years ago at Chickasha.

Wow what a great loss for the hobby.

We will miss Bruce! as Ron said he shared his knowledge freely something we should all try and do.
-Don

A Great Loss.
I am very Sorry!
My prayers are with his Loved Ones.

As a newbie I have been reading hobby magazines that go back decades. Bruce is always there. He will be missed.

My heart sank when I spotted the title. I never met him but I feel the loss in our little community of friends. At least his legacy carries on.

To all of Bruce's Family, our prayers and thought to you in this hour of loss. I know that all whom came in contact in any way will miss him and his wit and everything that is "BRuce"

What a loss. Always humble, ready to help and i loved his quick wit. It was a pleasure to know that man. He will always be the guru.

He had a Hell of a run and left behind a million friends and no enemies. Everybody that knew him will treasure his memory.

We should all be so lucky.

Our sincere condolences to the Bruce McCalley Family. I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce at Chickasha...........he is without question, one of the good guys.

Harvey & Karen Decker

Charlie B took the words right out of my mouth.

We will keep Bruce's family in our prayers.

My heartfelt sympathy to Bruce's family and loved ones. He was one of a kind. It was my privilege to meet Bruce and spend a few minutes with him at Chickasha last year, minutes I'll always treasure. He will be missed by many. Bob

I am sorry to hear of Bruce's passing.
I was able to speak with him one time at Chickasha. That made the whole trip worthwhile. He leaves a great legacy to the hobby.

Herb

Always enjoyed visiting with him and exchanging good hearted insults for that matter. Won't be the same without him.

The Model T hobby has indeed lost a legend. Jay and I feel fortunate to have known and worked with Bruce for many years. I always said, "If I weren't married to Jay, I would be married to Bruce."

Jay and I had the pleasure of hosting Bruce and Barbara's wedding in Dallas, Texas. She flew in from Pennsylvania and he from California. We set everything up and were witnesses for their wedding. The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter then threw a surprise wedding shower at our house in Dallas.

Many years and memories later, we all mourn the loss of Bruce and his wonderful humor.

What a fun, hardworking, intuitive, gentlemanly man he was. We will all miss him!

I offer my sincere condolences to the family. I truly regret never having the pleasure of meeting him in person.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Bruce and his family.

Bob Cascisa

How sad. My condolences to his family and the entire Model T family. We are all fortunate that so much of Mr. McCalley's infinite knowledge of the Model T and the Ford Motor Company in the early years is documented so well in books, articles and this forum.

I met him once at Hershey. He was a gentleman. I have read his book and use it as a reference regularly. We surely will miss him. Our sympathy goes out to his family. He will be missed by many.
Norm

Many people knew Bruce better than I did but not one of you loved him more than I did. We spent many an hour together but I got into the hobby much later than he did. We used to meet at the Henry Ford museum for joint research sessions. We both would then share the days and evening pouring over drawings, dimensions, and details. He would then pepper me with questions on any new things that I found out earlier or later and he then put them immediately into his data file. He was funny and were he alive tonight I have no doubt he would find something funny to say about all this. He never cut me or anybody any slack and was a continual tease. I will miss him but my life is so rich for the time of it that he spent with me.

So long Bruce. Now you can ask Henry about all those Model T details we never could figure out.

What a legacy and a true legend! He will be deeply missed.

Mike

My heart sank also when I read the title. I've never met him but I'm at a loss for words.
Although I'm not a praying person I certainly will say a prayer for Bruce.
Regards
Colin

A sad, sad day. Bruce would have considered himself merely one tree in the Model T hobby forest, but oh what a hole there is in the forest canopy with that tree gone.

It will be a rare day that I don't think of him when I drive one of my Ts, he helped me so much with them.

I assume that there will be a tribute in the VF soon. That will be a very special issue.

John Regan:

I remember well when we first met you and Trent at the archives in Michigan. Being from Dallas, I had never seen so much snow as I did on that trip to Michigan! I spent my day at the archives looking for info on your delivery truck. Yes, we will all miss Bruce. I would imagine that he has many questions for Henry Ford. No one appreciated (and questioned) Henry Ford more than Bruce McCalley!

God speed, you will be missed.

Since 1986 I have thought of Bruce as the world's foremost authority on the model T Ford.
I believe he was the first editor of THE VINTAGE FORD and stuck with the job for 25 years.
He was Model T Ford Club of America's president in 1991.
He was a very capable writer and a great speaker.

What a great fellow. He will be missed.

Happy Trails Bruce......What more can be said that hasn't already been shared.....We will all miss you....The Sorenson's

My wife, who is not a huge Model T fan, was also sad about Bruce's passing.
When he would stay with us before our Chickasha trek he and my bride would spend all evening at the dinner table arguing religion and politics over a few bottles of wine.
Bruce would continually complain to me that he invented coil rebuilding and wanted royalties on my work. He sent me this photo taken in 1963 to support his claim.

I explained I sent him royalty checks made out to B. McCalley and suggested he should ask his wife Barbara about them?
What a package this fellow was.
Ron Patterson

My wife, who is not a huge Model T fan, was also sad about Bruce's passing.
When he would stay with us before our Chickasha trek he and my bride would spend all evening at the dinner table arguing religion and politics over a few bottles of wine.
Bruce would continually complain to me that he invented coil rebuilding and wanted royalties on my work. He sent me this photo taken in 1962 to support his claim.

I explained I sent him royalty checks made out to B. McCalley and suggested he should ask his wife Barbara about them?
What a package this fellow was.
Ron Patterson

My heart sank when I saw the title of this thread. I met Bruce once at Richmond. What a gentleman he was!I will cherish the short conversation we had and pray for him and his family. He is greatly missed already. So long, Bruce. May you forever be in God's hand.

What A great loss. A gentleman, a historian a friend. My deepest condolences to his family. The Model T community has lost a dear friend.

I hated to open this thread..............You could not spend 30 + years in this hobby without running into Bruce a time or to. Somewhere in this house I have a dirty dog eared copy of "From Here to Obscurity" and the dust cover is split clean through. Bruce autographed for me at Chickasha a couple of years ago. He did ask me if I could afford a better copy.... Our hobby is poorer tonight.

Oh no. I read so many of his words but never got to hear any from him in person. GOD knows what he is doing, but I wish I could have met Bruce. GOD bless you Bruce, as well as your family. We can't thank you enough for loving the model T hobby as much as you did.

Goodbye old friend.
You’ve help so many of us.
From answering simple questions we all asked at first,
To pointing us to your books and Encyclopedia where we could find buried treasure.

Goodbye old friend.
You’ve set some high standards for us to follow.
To be willing to share humbly the things discovered
To be ready to make corrections as new information is unearthed.
And always ready to help someone get a little further on down the road.

Goodbye old friend.
I hope we can serve you well as you have so faithfully served others for so many years.
To work with others to keep your Encyclopedia relevant as new material becomes available.
To remember you as you were -- different memories for each of us.
But for me I believe you summed up my fondest memories of you in the dedication of your book “Model T Ford” Quote, “But I really want to dedicate this book to the thousands of Model T Ford enthusiast who have supported our hobby by joining the Model T Ford Club of America over the years. To those people I have a great feeling of gratitude, and in this way I can perhaps express my appreciation.”

God bless you and we will be praying for your family.

Sadly submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

We will really miss him, his knowledge and his humor. Hershey will not be the same without him. Bruce, you will never be forgotten.

I can only add my thoughts to everyone else's. I have an autographed (in my presence) copy of Bruce's book and was privileged to talk with him on several occasions. I have delighted in his contributions to this forum. Rest in peace, Bruce.

No man ever did more for the Model T hobby than Bruce. His research was endless and time consuming and he loved every minute of it. But most of all he loved sharing what he found. He will be truly missed. I still remember first meeting Bruce when he signed me up as a life member of the club in 1966. Our prayers and thoughts go out to Barbara on this great loss. God bless you.

Very sad, we have lost a great one for sure.

Godspeed Bruce. I've barely scratched the surface of the hobby world you help to create and maintain. The joys I have ahead in this hobby to discover, because of you, can only be imagined. Thank you.

All our best to your family at this time.

I am posting this for Andy Mounce:

Quote
 
I have known Bruce since 1965 and have spent
many happy hours with him on the tours and at
Hershey, where He shared a booth with Larue
Thomas and I for a number of years.
We have lost a wonderful Model T man.
Andy Mounce, MTFCA member no. 20, Somerset, Ky.
unquote
 
Thanks,
Andy Mounce

What a shame. An irreplaceable loss to the Model T community and his family. I regret not having the chance to meet him. My sincere condolences to the family and close friends.

I am going to miss seeing Bruce at Chickasha. He was always very helpful and informative. Whether the conversation was about model T's or personal stuff he was always very friendly. I remember last year I thought he didn't look good physically. He told me a few months ago that he wasn't well.
He will be sorely missed.

Robbie

I never had the pleasure of meeting Bruce in person, but several times, I wrote him about Model T details. He never failed to answer my letters on his dime and time. I will never get rid of those letters until I pass on.

Wow, So sad I really don't know what to say

I am really sorry to hear that. I heard of him a couple times on this website, and I know he's a famous dude on this website, and I sad to hear that he died today. What did he die from?

The champion of the Model T, just a mention of his name, and I think of the thousands of Ford facts he wrote and researched. Just won't be the same Hershey without his presence at the club tent....forever grateful to have known him.

I believe that Bruce did more to promote the Model T hobby than anyone other than Henry himself. Our Model T family lost its patriarch today.

Bruce was such a joy to be around. His quick and sharp wit never failed to put a smile on my face. When you were with Bruce, you knew you were in the presence of greatness, in spite of his humility.

Rest in peace, Bruce, and Godspeed.

What a tremendous loss for all of us.

Our condolences to the McCalley family. Our prayers are with you.

Orlando

For a man I never knew, but taught me so much. He will be missed by every Model T owner and more. May you rest in peace .
My thoughts and prayers go out to the McCalley Family.

I didnt know him but my condolenses to his family, henry ford probably has him as his personal mechanic in heaven

I'm in the process of reading Bruce's Model T Guide books.
I admire his thoroughness and humor in compiling these invaluable guides for T owners.
What a resource!
Luckily, thanks to his keen (obsessive?) interest in the fabulous Model T, his vast knowledge was put to paper and not wasted like some who take their knowledge to the grave!
My sympathy to the McCalley family.

So sad...his contributions to our hobby are inestimable. He cannot be replaced.

This is very sad news.

Bruce had an incredible wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humor. He touched more of us than he ever realized. I regret that I only met him once.

My prayers go out to his family.

How very sad ..... I hate to hear this . What a profound loss to our hobby. My condolences to his family and those who knew him personally as a friend . I only wish I had been in the hobby sooner and could have met him personally. Happy Motoring in the great beyond Bruce.....

Any word I can say have been said. Truly a great loss to our community.

Can you just imagine the conversation Bruce and Henry are having right now in the great beyond. I wish I would have had the chance to meet him.
Wouldn't it be something if Jay Leno mentioned him on his show?

Having met him two years ago at Hershey I was impressed by his complete knowledge of the model T and if you asked a stupid question he would answer in words that anyone could understand. His words of wisdom and humor either in print or in person will be sadly missed by all in the T hobby.
Jim

Wow, just got back on the forum today to hear this......very sad indeed.

This marks the passing of an era, the McCalley Model T era. His legacy will live on.

Sad to hear. I've learned so much from him in his books and on this website and regret I hadn't heard about him in '91, so I didn't stay and talk when I visited Hershey that fall..

I'm sure he finds some kind of archive to learn from in Heaven too.. Ol' Henry might not be there to discuss the findings though - Mr Ford was a fan of reincarnation & might be back on earth learning some new lesson?

Garrett, he died from the passage of time.

As was said here before, my heart sank when I saw the title to this thread. I never had the pleasure of meeting Bruce, but I have enjoyed his wit, wisdom and knowledge since I was a kid. I have the article with the picture of Bruce that Ron posted around here somewhere. It was in a Hot Rod magazine as I recall in an article entitled "Flat Trackin' the T's" I think. Seems like it was in the mid '60's or so. I can't add anything else that hasn't been said except that he was one of a kind. Dave

I, like many here never had the pleasure of meeting Bruce. However it is obviously clear that Bruce was a man that made a difference:

Bruce McCalley is one of the six founders of the Model T Ford Club of America and was editor of The Vintage Ford magazine for the first twenty-five years. He was co-author of the book From Here of Obscurity and the author of The Model T Encyclopedia and Model T Ford, the Car that Changed the World as well as the web encyclopedia and an even more detailed Encyclopedia on a CD.

And I'm sure he deserves much more credit as is clear by reading this thread.

Jim

Does anyone know what killed him or how he died?

I know I can say this enough, so this is my last time saying it, but I am truly sorry for his family. He will be remembered by all Model T Fan's around the world. I know who he is, because I looked at one of his books on eBay.

On the bright side, the book didn't say (Fits: Model T Ford)

Bruce sounded like the most important and famous Model T Hobby person in the world except for Henry Ford and Edsel Ford and maybe Clara Bryant. But you know what I mean. As I said, he will be remembered.

Our hobby has lost a great man. I enjoyed meeting him at Hershey, on tours and at the annual meeting. Rest in peace, Bruce.

Keith

Our family first met Bruce back in the late 60's when the club was only a year or so old and it is a true honor to say that we had the opportunity to know him. Bruce and Henry can now sit on the edge of a cloud together and watch us drive our cars.

Back when I was 13 years old, I bought From Here to Obscurity at the Gift Shop of Harrah's. I paid $14.95 of my own money for that book. That was almost 40 years ago. I wanted to know everything about the Model T.

Years later, I joined the MTFCA I continued to learn from Bruce about Model Ts. “If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Bruce was, I believe, an Honorary Board Member when I served on the Board of Directors.
The first time I met him, I knew I was in the presence of a Giant.

Thank you, Bruce.

I wish he could Rest in Peace, but I know that God will have him busy working on his Model T.

Will will miss him. The McCalley family is in our thoughts and prayers.

Keith Townsend

I didn't know Bruce, not really, but he had a huge influence on me and I am very sad for his passing. He cast a huge shadow, and will be greatly missed.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McCalley face to face, but I've read his books and learned so much of what I know about this hobby from him—and have enjoyed it all tremendously. Though I'm only an observer, I suspect that the forum we all enjoy on a daily basis and the Model T culture that has sprung from it would not have come into being without his efforts. From the things I've heard here again and again, it's obvious that in his particular area of historical study, Mr. McCalley was the standard bearer; the greatest and most respected of all authorities. My condolences to his family.

Bruce, send regards to Henry, I'm sure he waits for you up there.

One of the highlights at my visit to Chickasha in 2010 was meeting Bruce in Person.

My condolences to his family.

Bruce would have made a difference where ever he was. We, and all early automobile fans, were the lucky ones. Half the model Ts that survive the next hundred years will be because of Bruce McCalley.
He had more friends than almost anyone else on Earth.
My condolences especially to his family.
W2

I first joined the MTFCA in 1972 and shortly after wrote my first letter to Bruce which was the only easy way to communicate in those days. He wrote regularly and must have done so to many other club members also. In 1979 along with my family we travelled to the USA and were met by Bruce at the LA airport.

He took us home to his house in Burbank put us up as well as driving us around Los Angeles to see all the sights. My 5 year old son thought the best part of the trip was when Bruce entered the freeway near the Hollywood Bowl and Floored his hot Plymouth Barracuda on the entrance ramp.

In those days computers were just taking a hold but Bruce was already into them and updating the clubs office. He was the editor, secretary and everything else for the club. Keeping the membership records etc between producing the magazine. He used to keep some of my money in his personal account so that he could post things on to me if I purchased something from one of the parts suppliers. I always got a note thanking me for the great meal he had from some of my funds when I needed him to access the money.

Over the years we met lots of times enjoying tours and swap meets and home visits first in California and later in Indiana when he would come and visit us when we were in Centerville at Barbara and Jays house. Going out for meals and one of my great pleasures was to have him ride with my wife in the Kamper at Richmond in 2008.

I consider him part of our extended family as a lot have noted he had the most incredible wit and was always a pleasure to be with. My wife and I will truly miss him and feel honoured to have known him.

The hobby has lost a wonderful person, enthusiast and researcher. He will be sorely missed even as far away as Australia...Dave C.

I enjoyed the couple of times that I had to talk to Bruce in person, but the thing I appreciate the most is his life-long effort to share information about the Model T. Bruce was not an expert that hoards information like some do. Not only did Bruce do an incredible amount of research, but he also spent an incredible amount of time sharing it. The Vintage Ford, his books, the club website, the encyclopedia and this forum are all major examples of this. I hope that this spirit of knowledge-sharing (and particularly the encyclopedia) will continue in his legacy.

For somebody that has never met Bruce personally, but having read his big book, reading his posts, hearing all of you telling all of his accomplishments regarding this more than a hobby, almost a way of life, I surely miss him already.

I think that one of the greatest honour that we can give to his memory is to continue his legacy and his passion for spreading the information and the love for this cars.

Mario

My son and I both consider ourselves to be fortunate to have met Bruce and to be able to have talked to him.

We have his books and will remember him and his contribution to this hobby. Rest in peace Mr. McCalley.

I can’t say that I knew Bruce well. I met and spoke with him quite a few times. It was a pleasure working with him when he did an article on one of my cars for the Vintage Ford. He is definitely a class act, and of course a wealth of information. It was good to see him last year at Chickasha, he will be missed by all of us.

Wow,at a loss for words.I have his hard back book in the shop and folkes look at it and I tell them he is on a website that I post to regular.most cant beleive i "know" a author to a book..I had been looking forward to meeting him at Chickensaw sometime if I ever got the funds to go back.
But I will say his work as far as Model T's is concerned will help others for many years to come.The hobby and world in general have lost a good man.

Rest in peace Bruce. I don't know what else to say.

Saint Peter please open Heavens gates real wide
So Bruce can drive his T inside..

My condolences to his family and friends.

As I read through this thread, I can't help but wonder what amusing, gently self-deprecating post Bruce would add to it...

As this is our first year to make Chickasha with the intentions of meeting Bruce (and some of you other regulars) in person, apparently I will have to wait a bit longer to shake his hand and thank him for the unselfish service he honored our hobby with. Until then....

Bruce and me at the MTFCA Museum in 2008 just after he signed the inside of my coil box lid. Scott Rosenthal on the left.

My 1912 has run perfectly ever since!

I've known Bruce since 1962 when I was 18. We have spent many hours together talking about our favorite subject. He was a true friend, and probably the greatest asset to the hobby I've ever known.

I and my family and the whole Kingdom of Callaway MTFCA chapter considered him a great friend, he helped us organize 3 National tours in Fulton Mo starting in 1976, I joined in 1966 # 2088, Karen and I visited with him in Richmond at the 100th T party, I visited and spoke with him frequently at Chickasha swap meets. He is the reason I'm a Fordaholic God speed Bruce. Your wife Barbara and family have many blessings from all of us.

All I could say when I saw the title of this post was NO WAY. I always thought we would cross paths before now but even the days we spent in Richmond in 08 it would never be. Bruce was always willing help even me. He never met me, never spoke to me, but would e-mail me, a stranger, to help out even while he was busy with everyone he knew. I guess you can say he did have more friends than he ever knew.

We will all miss him.
Bob

It is a very sad and sobering day when we lose such a generous person as Bruce. We never know when our coils will buzz for the last time. Lets all have our travel plans in place. He will be greatly missed.

In Bruce's memory

I'm living in Sweden so far away from the U.S. but with the computer / e-mail I received much help
I want to thank Bruce for all the help given to me, invaluable to me!
Bruce thanks for everything

Very sad to hear this news.
May God comfort his family,friends and everyone who knew him.Please say a prayer for all of them.I know I will.
May God rest his wonderful soul.
The world and our hobby has lost a great man.
I regret I only met him a few times.

One of the giants in our hobby for sure. I met him a couple times in Hershey. He was glad to see me but had never met me before. I wish I had known him better. Rest in peace.

Truly a sad day here.

As a younger member, I am glad and fortunate for that I was able to enjoy his knowledge and contributions here on this forum over the last few years.

A great loss has befallen the club, the community and hobby as a whole for sure.

I had the pleasure of meeting & talking to Bruce several times since 2008. Here is a picture we took at the Centennial when he signed my "bible" for me.



The hobby has lost a great resource. I have a lot to live up to, but am willing to do my part.

Notice the "Mr Model T" under his name.

Chris Brancaccio

My first trip to Chickasha was in 2010 at which time I met Bruce and he signed my copy of his book. I had to talk him into signing it for me as he said his writing had become "pretty shaky" and probably unreadable. At the time, we had a very nice and probably typical "Model T talk" and discussion about his book, and I got a real taste of what a fine gentleman he was. I now treasure that book much, much more than I ever realized I would! We have all lost (and our hobby has lost) a very dear friend who will be missed by probably many more friends than he ever realized he had.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

traditional gaelic blessing

My dad's old friend, John Flanagan, used to add,
"And may you be an hour in Heaven before the devil knows you're dead."

A sad time,indeed. Even though we knew of his problems, his death still came as a shock.

I believe Bruce's guidance left our group in good hands...... we should keep not only Bruce & his family in our prayers but also pray for continued guidance.

I got my first Model T in 1965 but it wasn't until 1972 that I was introduced to Bruce's writings and a whole new world of the Model T. A friend had shown me a new book titled " From Here to Obscurity " by Ray Miller and Bruce McCalley. My friend advised me that I should join The Model T Ford Club of America and to get a copy of the book. That was the beginning of my association with this wonderful Club. Bruce's in-depth analysis of the Model T through the magazines and his books without a doubt has made an everlasting contribution to this hobby. The work that Bruce started many years ago continues today thanks to his endeavour for the Club and the hobby.
His legacy will live on forever.
My sincere condolences to Bruce's Wife , Family, and to all his Friends. John

Who knows how many hundreds of cars were restored more faithfully because of his efforts. I can't thing of anyone who gave us more. How pleased he must have been of the help the forum is giving folks.
Wish I could have met you in person.

I am very thankful for all of the work that Bruce did in the area of the Model T Ford. My deepest condolences to Bruce's family.

For many years, Bruce was our source of information from the distant homeland of our models T.
I deeply regret not having known him personally.
From Argentina we will miss him.

My heartfelt sorry for Bruce's family, and all of us. I loved how sincerely humble he was when asked for an autograph, and will miss my Hershey hugs forever.
Rest in peace you darling man.

I met Bruce at Hershey and remember his wit even more than his expertise in Model T's. To be honest, I would have been intimidated to ask him anything at all. After all, he wrote the bible. I do embrace the vision of Bruce meeting with Henry Ford at the pearly gates with a few questions of his own.

To his family and friends I extend my family's deepest sympathy.

As always,
Tour America,
Jim Cook

At Chickasha, I asked him to sign my book with Van Nuys High and the year he graduated.

Our heart felt condolences to Bruce's family.
Truly a great loss to the Model T community world wide.

Regards,

Steve Boothroyd

I too met Bruce at Hershey. His words of wisdom were for me to join the local T club closest to where I live. I did and at the first meeting, I had him sign my copy of his book. Rest in peace,we all will miss you

A highlight of my annual pilgrimage to Chickasha was to be able to speak to and learn from Bruce. I will be in Chickasha next month but it will never be the same without Bruce. I am so glad I got him to sign my copy of his book a couple of years ago. Our hobby has lost a giant.My sincere condolences to the McCalley family.

Bruce was a gentleman. RIP.

There has been a great disturbance in The Force. Bruce will be long missed, but his guiding words will sustain us through the future.
To Bruce's family; Thank you for sharing him with us all. I know many thoughts and prayers go to you in your time of loss too.
(I too, hated to see this thread's title)
T'ake care,
David Dewey

"No one lasts forever". Just think how fortunate we were as Model "T"'rs that Bruce was in love with them also. He could very well have been involved in gardening, woodworking or stamp collecting. God bless the Model T and our friend Bruce!

Here is the link to Bruce McCalley's obituary:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=bruce-w-mccalley&pi d=155920802

Never had the pleasure of meeting the man but i DID get a few messages from him over the past couple years regarding silly beginner type questions. He was unfailingly helpful and knowledgable and i'm thankful for the knowledge he left behind as i'm sure i'll be reminded from time to time when things he took the time to show me pop up. Sure would've enjoyed the opportunity to sit and just listen over a coffee though.

I met Bruce briefly once, at Hershey in 1979, and appreciated his dry humour, and I have since read just about everything he wrote on Ts (some of it many times over). A great inspiration, who will be remembered for many years.

Almost same obituary in another newspaper:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/obituaries/?mode=view&obit_id=223 632

When I this link first appeared I was overwhelmed with sadness because the T community lost a great man.
I was speechless because I could not think of anything to say that would express the greatness of the loss.

Then I remembered that someone once said that the thing they were most afraid of was spending time on this earth and not making a positive difference in other peoples lives.

After reading the comments from the folks on this board I can easily say that Bruce didn't have to be concerned about not making a difference.
He truly was (and still is) someone that made a difference.
His memory and legacy will be be with us for a very long time.

35 years ago "From Here to Obscurity" was my Model-T bible. More recently it is "Model-T Ford"
Both were well written by Bruce and continue to be used as excellent references. I met him several times at Hershey and he would always be interested in what you had to say about the Model-T. The Model-T community was enhanced by his lifelong passion. Rest in peace Bruce.

I never met Bruce, but spoke to him twice on the phone. The last time was in 2009 when we stayed with Barbara & Jay and Barbara said, why don't I phone him right now. EXCELLENT! It was like we'd known each other for years. I also graduated from Van Nuys High, but 14 years later. He was a legend and his work will continue inspire. Farewell mate