Tue Feb 09 2010
By JACK PALMER
The unique collection of a Defiance man who remains an enigma more than two years after his death is on display at Defiance College now through Sept. 30.
Andrew Tuttle is really an oxymoron an extremely private person who traveled the world, said Ashley Dally, who has inventoried and catalogued the mammoth 5,000-plus-piece collection.
Its a strange combination, she explained. He wasnt afraid to go out and meet with people, but he never opened up. He was very close to his mother, but basically spent his life alone.
Tuttle, who was killed in a car accident in Georgia on May 3, 2003, bequeathed his historical collection to the city of Defiance on condition it be displayed publicly.
It is currently on display at the Womens Commission Art Gallery at Defiance College through Sept. 30, weekdays from 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
A reception commemorating the exhibit is slated for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., prior to the opening program at 7:30 p.m. of the Town and Gown Series on World War I.
There are over 3,000 coins, said Dally. Most are from Europe and Asia, but there are also some from Africa, Australia, North America and South America.
Tuttles collection also features sculptures and artifacts from around the world, including American Indian artifacts. It also contains several original documents from the late 1800s, including two signed by William McKinley when he was governor of Ohio.
There is also a huge amount of stamps, added Dally.
The exhibit is divided into four major parts: A Collector is Born, his background and family information and items from Defiance; Early Ohio, local American Indian artifacts; On the Battlefront, items from his World War II years; and Relics of a Nomad, collected objects from his travels around the world.
Tuttle was born in Defiance, served in the U.S. Army 36th and 85th Infantry Divisions in North Africa and Italy from 1942-45, and was a 1947 graduate of Ohio State University.
He received a masters degree in business from Harvard University and completed further graduate work toward a doctorate degree at the University of Florida.
He was a real estate and mortgage analyst, working around the world, and retired from Ford-Bacon-Engineers, New York.
When he traveled, he would send letters home either daily or every other day, said Dally. He told his mother to keep the envelopes, and she did. Some still had the letters in them.
The neat part was reading the letters, and hearing about his travels, she continued. He took three major world excursions between 1958-64, and also went to South America in 1972.
Despite the frequency of letters home, Tuttle never mentioned what he was doing.
There was never any indication of his occupation, noted Dally. Sometimes he would say, I have a meeting, but never mentioned the subject.
People who knew him used words like extremely private, peculiar and recluse to describe him.
Tuttles residence was 211 High St. (where his mother, Sara, resided until her death), although he was not there often.
He was an only child and really close to his mother, stated Dally. Its clear he worked at various times in several U.S. cities, including St. Louis, New Orleans, Florida, Cincinnati and Detroit.
Kenneth and Ruth Armstrong currently own the former Tuttle property.
The Armstrongs were friends of Mr. Tuttle and they were a big help with my research, said Dally. They received his house in his will and are fixing it up.
Tuttle was born in 1918 according to his birth certificate and war papers, but his obituary and cemetery monument both say 1920.
He wrote his own obituary and made his own arrangements for the cemetery marker, said Dally. I have no idea why he decided to change his birth date.
Some people think he was some sort of government spy, but thats just speculation, she added. The most important part of this exhibit is that it gives insight on who Andrew Tuttle was through his artifacts. But there are still many unanswered questions.
Dally started her work almost a year ago.
Everything was in old boxes at the former city-county jail, she stated. My first task was to put everything into archival storage, which required special boxes to avoid deterioration.
Dally, a 2004 graduate of Ohio Northern University, used a special software program for cataloguing which she learned in college.
The first step is called accessioning, where every item is given a number with the year of accession, she remarked. Once that is done, it officially becomes the property of the city.
There is still a lot of cataloguing and research to be done with this collection, she added. Were still looking for any information we can find about Mr. Tuttle.
Persons who knew him or anything about his life are asked to contact the city historians office at 419-784-2249. Dally is also available for talks to community groups regarding the collection.
This has been a neat experience, she stated. I am discovering new things each day.
Its almost like a puzzle, trying to piece together his life and who he was. I hope people read what is written in the exhibit. They will miss a lot if they dont read what is there.
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