Me about her strange inheritance and how it turned her into a sort of time traveler, right back to her fathers harrowing past. My name is Miriam Friedman morris. My father, David Friedman, a painter and holocaust survivor, left me a diary, tagebuch fuer Miriam Friedman. As i read it, the diary led me on a remarkable journey that continues to this day. Miriam, im jamie. Hi. Welcome. Miriam wrote us an email that said. It was so impassioned, i had to meet her. My goodness. Look at all of this. I feel like im in fineart gallery or a museum. Tell me about your parents. My parents were both holocaust survivors, and in 1954, we moved from israel to new york. In her minds eye, little miriam sees only gauzy pictures of her fathers past. He doesnt tell her all that much. She knows he was a painter, who, in world war i, drew combat scenes on the russian front and was decorated for bravery. But shes in the dark about the full scope of his artistic career, including hundreds of drawings of top personalities for german newspapers and exhibitions of his work in major cities. In december 1938, friedman fled berlin for prague, czechoslovakia, after whats known as kristallnacht or the night of broken glass, when jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues throughout germany and austria were ransacked. In prague, he continues to paint portraits. He snaps blackandwhite photos of them and puts them in albums, which somehow survive. I would go and look in the albums, and this one really spoke to me. But he doesnt tell her the stories behind those pictures. He knew that i was looking at the pictures in the book. I was really quite fascinated with them. He just would watch me, but he wouldnt really say much. Young miriam knows her father was in a concentration camp but not how he got there or how in the world he survived. How did your parents meet . They met in a small town about one hour from prague. It was a place where the survivors went for healing. Nor does miriam know about her fathers disappointing attempt in israel to use his talent to express the horrors of the holocaust. Hed only write about that years later. I had a oneman show in tel aviv with paintings of the concentration camps. Im sorry to say, the interest was only small, and learned people do not want to talk about concentration camps. Feeling defeated, the 60yearold artist moves his wife and 4yearold daughter to new york and madison avenue. And that was really, like, the mad men era. Your dad went into advertising. Thats right. And the company moved us from new york to st. Louis, where he was a lead artist. Thats the dad miriam grows up knowing the guy who paints these gigantic billboards for major clients, like michelob and 7 up. What was your childhood like in the United States . We were happy and we had a beautiful apartment. I noticed many of our friends had accents and had the numbers on the arm. The survivors all were the same, in the sense they wanted their children to have a better life. In search of the American Dream. Indeed. For david, the American Dream demands compromise. I had to forget about art paintings and i had to forget what was hidden in my heart the pictures from the concentration camps. I had to work hard to make a living. Then, in 1961, an envelope in the mail sends his spirits soaring. It contains a reparations check 4,350 from the west German Government for his looted art. It wasnt the money but the official recognition that his lifes work all but obliterated by the nazis meant something. I remember lots of excitement in the house. I really didnt understand it at the time, but i knew that it was very important to my father, who had been recognized for his case against the german reich for the loss of his paintings. Now, at 68, david sets up his easel, full of trepidation. I had the idea to try again but was afraid to start. He alone can put to canvas the evil he witnessed. He tried years before. Hes now ready to try again. In december 1963, in the night, i quietly left our bedroom for my studio, placed a piece of paper on the easel, took charcoal, and made my first sketch. Over four furious months, friedman creates 28 haunting drawings memories of the holocaust. It was like the pentup emotion of images that lived inside of him. He just tore it out of his head and put it on this canvas. The drawings awe miriam. She becomes more and more curious about her fathers past. On a college trip to germany in 1970, she visits an aunt shed never met, who has a painting shes never seen. It was a painting of my fathers first wife, mathilde friedman. Miriam had only heard mathilde spoken of in whispers. David married her in 1937, but she perished during the war. I wrote my father from germany that i had seen the painting, and he didnt understand what i was talking about. Her father arranges to have the painting sent from west berlin to st. Louis. My father took the package and he went into the bedroom for three days. What do you think went on in that room . I think he was remembering a woman that he had loved and lost. After college, miriam launches her own career as a fashion designer. She moves to new york, marries harold morris, and starts a family. Then, in february 1980, her father peacefully passes away at 86. And then comes her strange inheritance. When my father died, my mother handed me the little diary with my name on it. He started writing it the day miriam was born. Turns out that the father who had revealed only fragments of his past would now fill in the blanks. The more i learned about him, it sort of drove me to rescue him from obscurity. Where it drove her next. But, first, our strange inheritance quiz question. In the movie the monuments men, George Clooney is intent on recovering what work of art looted by the germans . The answer in a moment. While the world keeps fighting for your attention. Well keep building smarter suvs. To help keep you focused on the road ahead. And. The road beside. Did we mention the road ahead. With an available best in class. Epa estimated combined fuel economy and the technology to practically park itself. This is the reimagined 2020 ford escape. I am a 9yearold boy who hopes a friend invites me to a sleepover so i can have dinner. I am a 15yearold girl who goes for walks during lunch so my friends wont know i dont have anything to eat. I am a 13yearold boy who gets into fights at school just because im hungry. I was created by Artificial Intelligence from faces of the 1 in 7 American Children who struggle with hunger. Kids you pass by every day but never knew they were hungry. Feeding america 200 food banks strong. Its c, michelangelos madonna and child. It becomes paramount in the film after nazis kill one of clooneys men who attempted to prevent its theft. When painter and holocaust survivor David Friedman dies in 1980, he leaves his daughter, miriam, a diary he wrote for her. She cant bring herself to read her strange inheritance until her mother dies, in 1989. When she does, one statement in the opening pages stops her cold. Nazi criminals deported me, my wife, mathilde, and child, also named miriam. As a girl, miriam had picked up inklings about a halfsister with the same name who was killed in the war. But now, reading about her, in her fathers hand. I was quite astounded that many of the things that he spoke about from his first daughter were similar to experiences that i had with my father, like he taught her how to paint and he wrote about how he kept scrapbooks of her art. She reads on. Her father reveals details about his life after the germans conquered most of europe and began deporting millions of jews to ghettos and concentration camps. The nazis loot her fathers apartment in berlin and steal his artwork after he and his family flee to prague, czechoslovakia. I was only married for two years and had a 3monthold baby. And there was the anxiety of how to get out of this hell. In 1941, the germans deport friedman, now 48, his wife, mathilde, and their daughter from prague to a large ghetto in the polish city of lodz. In august 1944, the nazis liquidate the ghetto and deport the 65,000 jews living there to concentration camps. My father was on the last train to auschwitz, and he never saw his wife and child again. Upon arrival at auschwitz, men and boys are led one way, women and girls another. He never learns how and where his wife and daughter die, though the gas chamber is most likely. Davids life is spared. I would not be alive today were it not for a lucky fluke. Using improvised paints and brushes, david creates a mural of a nearby river on the prison wall. His talent impresses the guards. They let him live. Friedman survives five more months in the nazis most notorious death camp. Then, on january 25, 1945, the russians arrive. He is liberated and heads to czechoslovakia. But miriams strange inheritance does more than fill in the gaps about her fathers life. It leaves clues for miriam to find his lost art and implores her to restore his legacy, which, like so many others, was all but erased by the nazis. Between 1919 and 1933, my works were constantly on view in the various exhibitions of the Berlin Academy of the arts. The more i learned about him, it sort of drove me to rescue him from obscurity. To rescue him from obscurity, miriam writes to museums and archives in germany and czechoslovakia. Polite responses offer nothing. Its as though her father never painted, never existed. European art appraiser robin starr says miriam faces a needleinthehaystack challenge. How much art did the nazis loot . Millions of works. Hitler was collecting them for his own private collection, and there were soldiers at all ranks who were grabbing and plundering. In 1994, miriam flies to europe to use the diary to reassemble the pieces of her fathers life. What did you find . I went to berlin, to the newspaper archives that i had been told previously did not exist. And i was very excited to find portraits my father published in the newspaper. Its miriams first big discovery a vast spread of her fathers sketches, from the 1920s to early 30s, of luminaries including politicians, sports personalities, and musicians. And what did finding the newspaper clipping do for you . It showed me that i could find more. It would help me find evidence of the lost work that the nazis did not destroy. And miriams strange inheritance is about to lead to more evidence kept by the nazis themselves that will resurrect some of friedmans early paintings and shed new light on his darkest works. This is a particularly disturbing drawing for me electrocution by choice. Why do you think your father didnt make that choice . Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. The answer in a moment. Theres a company thats talked to even more real people than me jd power. 448,134 to be exact. They answered 410 questions in 8 categories about vehicle quality. And when they were done, chevy earned more j. D. Power quality awards across cars, trucks and suvs than any other brand over the last four years. So on behalf of chevrolet, i want to say thank you, real people. Youre welcome. Were gonna need a bigger room. [ siren ] doug give me your hand i can save you. Lots of money with Liberty Mutual we customize your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. light musical cords some people say thats ridiculous. Age is just an illusion. How you show up for the world, thats whats real. Whats your idea . I put it out there with a godaddy website. Its b. In 1939, Museum Director Jacques Jaujard smuggled it out of the louvre in an ambulance to the french countryside. Like an impressionist painting that gets clearer as you step back from it, so, too, has Miriam Friedman morris image of her father. Shes been following clues in this diary, which she inherited after he died. Shes had some luck in berlin, where she found hundreds of drawings he did for the newspapers. Then, in 2003, miriam and her daughter, lauren, meet with the director at the Jewish Museum in prague. The museum discovers, in its archives, these meticulous naziera catalog cards that name specific works of art by her father and when the nazis looted each one. And along with the catalog cards. I discovered the Jewish Museum held several of my fathers works. Including this image of a jewish Holiday Celebration and lithographs of davids hometown in czechoslovakia. In all, miriam uncovers nine of her fathers artworks. And what does it feel like for you, miriam, when you find a piece of your father in that way . It is so exhilarating. It feels so triumphant. One more work that has survived that the nazis did not destroy. One painting she discovers is of a Jewish Cemetery in prague, a cemetery which she visits with her daughter, lauren. It was just unbelievable to me that his artwork existed outside my house, outside the museums here in the United States, and it made me very excited to see what else we could discover. They discover, next, a living link to her fathers past. April 2009, miriams speaking to a new york audience about that photo album from her youth. It showed my fathers prewar career, and there was a portrait of a young girl. She looked to be about 8, 9 years old. Suddenly, another speaker on the panel gasps. She recognizes this girl. She said that it was her friend, and she had moved to buffalo. Does she still have the portrait . Yes. Here, after all those years, is the actual portrait David Friedman painted back in 1941. Its the only portrait painting, from this period of my fathers life as a refugee in prague, to survive. When youve identified someone that was in one of your fathers paintings, what is going on with your heart and your mind . Its just like everything comes together. It also makes it impossible to forget that others her father painted did not survive. But miriam believes her fathers life and her journey are unfolding this way for a reason, all going back to the vow she made to him the night he died. Did you make him a promise at his bedside . Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. I am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. Strange inheritance. Weve told you the story of artist and holocaust survivor David Friedman, his first wife and daughter killed by the nazis, his lifes work looted, how he came to america and started over. And how the strange inheritance he left his second daughter sent her on a journey to reclaim his legacy. We havent told you about his dying wish and his daughters vow. Did you make him a promise at his bedside . All he could think about was what was going to happen to his concentrationcamp pictures. I made a promise to my father that i would show his artwork to the world. Those concentrationcamp pictures were not the ones lost in europe or mentioned in the diary. Theyre the ones he furiously drew here in america, as a retired sign painter, in his late 60s. But they were, in fact, his most impassioned work, the art father and daughter both knew that he was put on earth to create. Keeping her promise, she donates some to the u. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum here in washington, d. C. This is a particularly disturbing drawing for me electrocution by choice. The drawing depicts concentrationcamp inmates throwing themselves against the electrified barbed wire. People had been dehumanized, tortured. They could no longer think, and this was a better option. Why do you think your father didnt make that choice . He had to live so that he could show the scenes that he witnessed. That was a powerful reason for his survival. He had to live to show what he witnessed. Miriam also ensures his paintings find a home at the renowned Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in jerusalem. Half a century after David Friedman felt defeated by that failed exhibit in tel aviv, his paintings are now on permanent display at israels leading holocaust memorial, all due to a daughter inspired by her strange inheritance. Even when i was young, i knew he was special. I wanted him to be recognized as an artist and i have achieved that. Are you proud of her . Very. Miriams daughter, lauren. One day, her mothers strange inheritance will pass to her. What will she do with it . The diary, the story, your mothers efforts do you feel a responsibility to continue her work . I feel a huge responsibility. I just hope that everybody from the next century on will not forget what happened. Behind me are bleak reminders of kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, the awful night in november 1938 that convinced David Friedman he had to flee berlin. But heres what happened 70 years later, in november 2008 the berlin philharmonic commemorated kristallnacht with a concert, accompanied by an exhibit of David Friedmans artwork. The 30 portraits featured jewish composers, musicians, and conductors, many of whom were part of the berlin orchestra before the nazis took it over, an historical treasure from an era the nazis tried to erase and a testament to the enduring power of David Friedmans artistry. Im jamie colby. Thanks for watching strange inheritance. [ rock music plays ] a worldrecord car collection. He just kept going. He never stopped. I believe his goal was to have one of every car ever made. A maverick driven to leave a mark. He went to a wreckingyard auction, bought the whole wrecking yard. His family promises to carry out his grand plan. I think there was a feeling of dread, relief, excitement, and enthusiasm. I love it. Feel the hair blowing, the top down. But can they fulfill the patriarchs dying wish . None of us wanted to be the ones who said we split all the stuff up. You dont want that car oil on your hands. [ woman vocalizing, theme music plays ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] [ countryrock music plays ] im jamie colby, and today im driving outside tacoma, washington, on my way to meet the heirs of a man who started with nothing, built an empire, left his heirs enormous wealth, but also an overwhelming task. Im doug lemay. My father, harold lemay, passed away in 2000 at the age of 81 and left us with a worldrecord collection that has become a fulltime job. Doug has invited me to the family house, where his father lived for more than two decades and where he now lives and works. Hey, doug. Hi, jamie. Glad you could come. Im so happy to be here, but i cant figure one thing out. Whats that . Is this a house or a garage . Well, its a 5bedroom house with a 300car garage. 300 cars . Yeah. Good thing i have the whole day today. [ midtempo music plays ] as doug shows me around, its easy to see this isnt just a home, but a reflection of his fathers passion for the automobile. I mean, doug, i got to be honest. Ive been to car shows that havent had this many cars. Dad did it for a long time. Everywhere you look, theres a collector car. Whats your dream ride . A 1930 cadillac 452 convertible . A 1922 austrodaimler . 1961 metropolitan . Its probably here somewhere. There are even rooms completely filled with the same model or manufacturer. These are all packards . This whole row is packards, yes. Oh, my god. Theres so many of them. Am i allowed to touch . Yeah, have a seat if youd like. Oh, my gosh. You dont have to ask me twice. Oh, my goodness. Look at the steering wheel. I think it has my name written all over. So many do. [ jazz music plays ] harold lemays fascination with cars started even before he could reach the pedals. Nancy lemay is harolds widow. His mother said, from the time he was born, he loved the car. He loved anything with wheels. Harold is born in 1919 to marie lemay, a single mother struggling to make a living and care for three young children. When harold is just three, marie feels she has no choice but to place harold in the custody of friends who can better take care of him. When the couple comes to pick up harold, theyre driving a 1914 baby grand chevy. Harold was a little apprehensive. He had not met these people before. Hes only three. And hes only three. And as he described, this portly man behind the wheel said, harold, you need to sit on my lap, and you can drive the car home. Little harold puts his hands on the wheel of that chevy and is instantly calm, sealing a lifelong love affair with the automobile. After driving a truck in world war ii, harold returns home and builds up a garbage and scrapcollecting business. It may not be glamorous, but trash proves very profitable. How successful was his business . Very successful. Lemay enterprises eventually grows to become the 10th largest private trashremoval company in america, with annual revenues topping 100 million. In 1963, harold marries nancy. A few years later, he has another lifechanging moment. A friend of his was in the model t club. He thought that that would be just the thing for him to get into. [ uptempo music plays ] once he joins the club, a light bulb goes off harold wants to start collecting classic cars. He begins with american models, mostly chevys and fords, everyday cars and trucks. How did he find these cars . Well, he would find most of them himself. By the 1970s, harolds hobby really revs up, and, as his grandson eric says, so does his wish list and search grid. It didnt matter where in the country the car was. Hed say, you want to go for a drive . And the next thing you know, youre crossing from oregon into california. As his passion grows, harold starts buying nearly any car he comes across. Grandpa never called himself a car collector. He was a car saver. He saved cars. Harold couldnt stand to see a car crushed. Would just break harolds heart. He went to a wreckingyard auction in idaho, bought the whole wrecking yard. [ bluegrass music plays ] by the mid 1990s, harolds collection of cars totals into the thousands. He just kept going. He never stopped. And you never said to him, honey, enough already we could use that money for a vacation . No, but whenever we did go on vacation, there was always a car somewhere in the route. As harolds fleet expands, he runs out of room in his 300car garage, so he snatches up over 50 properties to stockpile his collection. Hed buy houses so that he could use the garage, you know, and then hed rent the house and not the garage. He even buys this 87acre former Catholic Boarding School called marymount. Well circle back here later. How many conversations did you have with harold about what should happen to the collection when he passed . He never though about passing at all. This was not on his agenda. But the question is on his heirs agenda. Theyre thinking about the huge challenge rumbling toward them once harolds gone. Youve got to decide, at some point while youre alive, what are you gonna do with the stuff, and thats a very confrontational thing. And you know its kind of a burden on everybody else, and you got to have a plan. Up next, harold makes that plan plus the one car he really wants but never gets. And now our strange inheritance quiz question. What was the First Official white house car . Was it an 1899 packard for mckinley, a 1909 white steamer for taft, a 1919 piercearrow for wilson, or a 1929 cadillac for hoover . The answer when we return. Its surprising how the bigger a city gets. The smaller it starts to feel. Which makes it even more surprising, how big it feels in here. With sliding rear seats. And more available second row legroom than say. A chevy suburban. This is the completely reimagined 2020 ford escape. [caregiver 2] when he got injured i wasnt prepared, but i knew i had to be strong. [caregiver 3] when i was told about johns injury i was in complete shock. I just remember rushing into his room and giving him a big hug and letting him know i was there. [male narrator] these veterans and families are just a few of the heros we serve at homes for our troops. For thousands of severely injured veterans, everyday life is filled with barriers. [veteran 1] it was really the Little Things throughout the house. Counters that you cant roll up to. I had to drag my wheelchair down steps. I want to help, but he is so determined. [narrator] at homes for our troops we build specially adapted custom homes with features like wheelchair access, roll in showers and Automatic Door openers that allow them to function independently and focus on their recovery and family. [veteran 2] this house is freedom. [veteran 3] its hope, its a new beginning. [caregiver 3] this house has given me my family back. [narrator] to learn more visit hfot usa dot org. So, what was the First Official white house car . Its b, the 1909 white steamer. That year, Congress Passed legislation on behalf of William Howard taft for official white house automobiles. [ rockabilly music plays ] for nearly four decades, businessman harold lemay amasses a collection of classic cars in tacoma, washington, that includes at least 3,000 vehicles. Even he doesnt know the exact number. But there is one car he misses out on, says his wife nancy. He always wished hed gotten a tucker. Preston tucker was an american inventor and entrepreneur who designed the tucker sedan in 1948, conceived as the car of the future. It was so ahead of its time. Its so sleek. It has awesome lines. But sales were doomed after tucker was investigated for stock fraud, and only 51 cars were made before his Chicago Company folded. With or without a tucker, lemays vintage car collection is named Worlds Largest in the 1998 guinness book of world records. It includes true classics such as a 1910 roadster, 1930 duesenberg, and 1936 auburn. Harold, now in his late 70s, starts to worry about what will become of his beloved autos when hes gone. Charlie maxwell was friends with harold for over 30 years. What did harold want to happen with the collection . Well, he really wanted to see his collection preserved. He felt really, really bad when we would go to car auctions and he would see somebodys life collection being dispersed to the four corners of the world. Easy for harold to feel that way. It isnt he, but his heirs, including son doug and grandson eric, who will have the enormous burden of housing and maintaining all these cars. Did he think about what he had amassed and what his family would face as he got older . Yeah, he had made the decision him and my grandmother that they were going to create a museum. Thats right a museum just for harolds cars. The family starts by requesting land from the city of tacoma, but before officials will award the property, they ask harold for an initial donation of at least 300 cars to get the project going. 10 of the collection. Was that hard for him . I think it almost killed him. [ guffaws ] he had this document that he had to put his signature on, saying that he wasnt going to own this stuff at some point. And i can remember his hands shaking, and he kind of took a deep breath, and he signed it, and he handed me the piece of paper, and then he stormed off back towards home. [ dramatic music plays ] on november 4, 2000, after a massive heart attack, harold dies at the age of 81. His heirs inherit his grand car collection and even grander dream of a museum to house it. I think there was a feeling of dread, relief, excitement, and enthusiasm. Two questions arise. How many cars are there, and what are they worth . The family calls in larry batton, owner of the Auto Appraisal Group in charlottesville, virginia. It was a massive operation. The cars were located in 53 different locations. His filing system was a 32gallon green trash bag cause he never had any intention of selling or marketing a vehicle. We worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Over the sixmonth appraisal, the team uncovers countless classic cars only harold knew he had. We would open a door that hadnt been opened in decades. It would be full of cars that had been their for years, covered with cottonwood flower like snow on the inside of a building. And there were bumblebee fords and convertibles, piercearrows, and cars that were so unique. In all, larry and his team locate, number, and value 2,973 cars, not including the countless rusted, halfwrecked hulks. I believe his goal was to have one of every car ever made. Larrys not allowed to say what the whole collection is worth, but independent estimates peg it at 100 million at the time of harolds death. [ suspenseful music plays ] with the inventory complete, the family tries to realize harolds dream of a car museum, but starts hitting some roadblocks. Creating a museum, its like watching sausage get made. [ chuckles ] its really ugly and hard. And theyre not the only ones with car trouble. Oh, come on. Get me a car that works. Thats next. Heres another quiz question. Which classic American Sports car came first . Is it the chevy corvette, ford thunderbird, or Dodge Charger . The answer when we return. [ bird caws ] theres a company thats talked to even more real people than me jd power. 448,134 to be exact. They answered 410 questions in 8 categories about vehicle quality. And when they were done, chevy earned more j. D. Power quality awards across cars, trucks and suvs than any other brand over the last four years. So on behalf of chevrolet, i want to say thank you, real people. Youre welcome. Were gonna need a bigger room. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. [ fastpaced drumming ] its our most dangerous addiction. And to get the whole world clean . That takes a lot more than an alternative. So we took our worst vice, and turned it into the dna for a better system. Materials made from recycled plastic woven and molded into all the things we consume. We created bionic and put the word out with godaddy. What will you change . Make the world you want. [ bird caws ] so, which classic American Sports car came first . Its a, the chevy corvette. From its introduction in 1953, chevy has produced over 1. 5 million off them. [ uptempo music plays ] in the early 2000s, harold lemays family is struggling to honor his dying wish the creation of a museum where his entire 3,000plus car collection can be on public display. One that will be featured the black beauty that sparked harolds classic car obsession henry fords model t. I meet with harolds grandson eric and his friend mike for a driving lesson. Step one handcrank the car to start it. I dont know. What do you think . I think youre up for it. You do . All right. Lets see if you can do it. Give it a good crank. Oh not quite. [ grunts ] aah ouch. [ laughs ] wait. Is this a trick . [ grunts ] oh, come on. Get me a car that works. [ engine starts ] there it is hey all right. There you go. Right on. The model t is considered the first affordable automobile, but its not particularly easy to drive. It has three pedals, but the brake is on the right. Whats it doing there . You did clear the streets today . [ chuckles ] and the sidewalks. As we scoot around, its easy to see why harold fell in love with this classic. I love it. Feel the hair blowing, the top down. Theres a big tree. Theres a tree back there. Big tree. Brake, brake, brake, brake. Okay, brake. Ooh thats forward. Wait. Brake, brake. Oh, yeah. That thing on the right. Throttle up. Yep. [ engine turns off ] oh, my god. [ applause ] perfect. Not a scratch. But a collision is in store for the lemay family as it tries to get its museum into drive. It needed a building, it needed fundraising all the next steps. The family donates 600 cars to the project and 15 million, too, but its not enough. So they hire a fundraiser who tells them they have to court corporate sponsors for more big bucks. That will mean, the lemays are told, they will have to sacrifice their control and vision of the museum. The family agrees, but soon find themselves just 2 on a board of around 30. On the one hand, you want to see the legacy and the stories of those cars preserved. On the other hand, you really cant control once its in a museums hand. Exactly. The museum adds cars from other collections to attract national attention. Then fundraising runs tight. The board tells the family they dont have the budget to preserve all of harolds cars, and many of the ones he donated they say are redundant. They decide on a step that harold lemay wouldve never ever considered sell some of his cars. If you couldve controlled that situation, would you have asked them to sell other cars . I dont sell many cars. In fact, harold had only sold three collector cars in his lifetime. Family members are dismayed. None of us wanted to be the ones who said we split all the stuff up. You dont want that car oil on your hands. If you really didnt want them, whyd you ask for them . Because it made me feel like thats why the reason they wanted them was to sell them. The museum auctions off 145 of harolds donated autos. Their estimated value well into the millions. His 1940 packard convertible victoria sells for 113k, while his 1936 rollsroyce goes for more than 65 grand. The funds do their part to help the museum keep going, but when the sleeklooking building finally opens in 2012, its names been changed from the harold e. Lemay museum to lemayamericas car museum. That reflects the museums shift in focus from just harold lemay to cars from other donors, as well. Thats discouraging to harolds heirs because his wish was for a museum devoted just to his worldrecord collection. But the family believes theres still a chance to keep his vision alive. Eric, what is this place . Would you believe a second museum just minutes down the road from the first . Thats next. As a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. At liberty butchemel. Cut. Liberty mu. Line . Cut. Liberty mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Cut. Liberty m. Am i allowed to riff . What if i come out of the water . Liberty biberty. Cut. Well dub it. Liberty mutual customizes your Car Insurance so you only pay for what you need. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Now back to strange inheritance. Harold lemays family continues to face the dilemma of how to honor his legacy. A chunk of harolds huge car collection has been sold off, and a museum in tacoma, washington, originally meant to be solely devoted to harold, now has a different mission. [ midtempo music plays ] then a solution the family decides to refit that School Property that harold purchased in the mid 1990s. Eric, what is this place . This is the other part of the equation that was our Family Learning how to save the Worlds Largest car collection. This is marymount. Its an event center, a museum, and your museum . Yeah. Why two . We wanted another museum that was more about the lemay family and our tastes in collecting. We may be only six miles apart, but were very different culturally from each other. The lemay family considers marymount the downtoearth little brother of the sleek, modern tacoma museum. Its the dirty fingernails version that celebrates harolds cars and nobody elses. [ rockabilly music plays ] the museum depends on the hard work of harold loyalists. Everyone here, from the tour guides to car repairmen, is a volunteer. So, not to take off on a car color, but are you in the black or in the red . At some point and its not that far away this will be a selfsustaining business. It looks really like its gonna be healthy for a long, long time. [ folk music plays ] before i leave, theres one last car eric tells me i need to see. Its a 1948 tucker. Tucker . Wait a minute. Harold wanted a tucker. I thought he never got a tucker . He did not buy this. My grandmother bought it after he died. Really . Yes, we knew that he wanted one, and so group of our family went to an auction, and grandma bought the tucker that he couldnt have before he passed away. Unbelievable. So he left, but you knew it was that important to have. We knew it was that important. What would harold say . Hed love it. I think, if grandpa were to look at how hard weve tried to do what he was hoping wed do, i think hed be really proud of it. And it took a whole community, it took a lot of volunteers, it took a family that never got off track with each other. Thats his legacy basically. [ midtempo music plays ] one last harold lemay story. Back in the 80s, at a garbage convention in chicago, he caught wind of a car for sale a 1914 baby grand chevy, the same model he first tooled around in as a threeyearold that day he said goodbye to his mom. Well, harold bought it on the spot, and he loaded it into the back of this fancy garbage truck that he purchased at that trade show. He and nancy hauled that old chevy all the way back here to tacoma. And there it sits to this day. He never let it go. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember, you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Just like howard stern has. Guess i will be auditioning for that one. Have great weekend. Maria happy weekend that we can to the program that analyzes the weekend helps position you for the week ahead. And what a week it was. I am Maria Bartiromo thank you for joining us. Coming up in a few moments the carnage on wall street and economic backdrop it i will speak to the president and ceo of the Dallas Federal Reserve robert is our special guest this week on the important week to discuss. Markets are in correction on global fears of the coronavirus. This week all the Major Industries suffered the largest single day point decline ever as wall street deals with the worst
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