"The evening of the first day of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City I attended a gathering at Gotham Hall held by the Manhattan Institute. It was called, “Gotham’s Grand Old Party.”
Because I was a part of the…"
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Michael Ragsdale
- Seattle, WA
- United States
- Blog Posts
- Discussions (19)
- Groups (2)
- Photos (354)
- Photo Albums (37)
- Videos
Michael Ragsdale's Discussions
What's the reality of creating an Autograph Collector Museum in the U.S.? (REVISED)
Started this discussion. Last reply by Mike Kaminski Jan 27, 2014. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Deleted.
Images from my latest album censored. Your thoughts.
Started this discussion. Last reply by Brian Burger Sep 3, 2013. 13 Replies 0 Likes
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Tags: protest, war, Syria, U.S., censorship
Wanted: Advice dealing with auction houses.
Started Jun 16, 2013 0 Replies 0 Likes
The situation:Yesterday I approached a few auction houses and dealers by email about the auctioning/selling of my unique seven year 9/11 aftermath autograph collection.Despite recommendations over…Continue
Programs you may be interested in.
Started Aug 10, 2012 0 Replies 1 Like
Greetings collectors, I wanted to let you know that two of my last five photo albums on AML are connected to two television programs you may want to check out this weekend on American History TV/…Continue
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Michael Ragsdale's Page
Latest Activity
"How many of you remember Ted Sorensen?
Well, he was the speechwriter for President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I spotted him in the audience when former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld came to the Council on Foreign Relations to complain about the…"
"I was there when Rodney King came to Harlem to talk about his beating by Los Angeles police and his new book, "The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption." It took place in April 2012 in the auditorium at the Schomberg Center…"
"You never know who you are going to see in the audiences of events that are recorded for C-SPAN. In March 2007, at the main New York Public Library, world-renowned cultural critic Clive James spoke about his life’s work. In a book titled,…"
"In the aftermath of 9/11 in New York City.
At a week-long conference titled, “Democracy at a Critical Juncture: The Ongoing Implications of 9-11,” almost any issue you can think of regarding the aftermath of 9/11 was discussed. It took…"
"Back in May 2000, a coworker and I were assigned to videotape a Baccalaureate at Princeton University in New Jersey. It featured remarks from a former graduate, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan.
I recall her talking about her years at Princeton in…"
"In June 2007, I was asked to videotape a very special dedication at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian. It was a ceremony marking the opening of a new bronchoscopy and endoscopy center named in the memory of Laura…"
"This was an interesting book event to help videotape. Why? Because nine months earlier the now-deceased co-author, former Colonel Alexander Litvinenko, was thought to be murdered by two members of Russia's Federal Protective Service for…"
"For C-SPAN, I was given the opportunity to help cover former Fox News personality Lou Dobbs three times. The first time was in December 2001 at the Citigroup Center Barnes & Noble at a talk about his book, “Space: the Next Business…"
"When a coworker and I covered the 2008 State of the Economy speech given by President George W. Bush at Federal Hall in New York City, everyone was asked to wait in the downstairs event space while the Hall was swept for bombs. While waiting, I…"
"In May 2003 the Columbia Presbyterian Health Sciences Advisory Council presented its Award for Distinguished Service to journalist and “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace, honoring him for his advocacy and commitment to raising…"
About Me
- What kind of member are you? Industry professionals must use their real names and identify themselves as such. (Check as many as apply.)
- Collector
- What brings you to Autograph Live?
- Change my photo.
- Who can we thank for telling you about Autograph Live?
- ---
- What do you collect, or want to collect?
- History/Politics, Books/Literature, Space/Aviation/Military
- Tell us more about your collection, specific areas of interest, etc.:
- I am an event-specific autograph collector, who, since 1997 has been gathering ephemera and autographs at NYC area public and private occasions I both work at and attend on my own.
At them I gather as many programs, fliers, cards, press releases, copies of speeches and other materials I can, and then try to get the autographs of every participant on some of those materials.
Examples of the types of events include: award ceremonies, keynote lectures, panel discussions, conferences, town hall and other meetings, protests, press conferences, memorials, book and other events.
Today, I have in my possession three rather large and unique in-person autograph and memorabilia collections.
On this site I will try to share them with you when I can.
- What is your level of expertise?
- Intermediate Collector
- What is your favorite autograph in your collection?
- I have hundreds of favorites, a lot within my seven-year 9/11 aftermath-related collection.
- Why do you collect?
- To document who I have worked with in New York City, and after 9/11 to show who got involved here instead of returning to "business as usual" or "shopping."
I like to think of it as a paper documentary history of wherever I have been and whom I have worked with since 1997.
- You can ask anyone living or dead for their autograph. Who would it be?
- I'd like to get the autographs of a lot of individuals I wasn't able to although I worked with them or videotaped them in-person.
Michael Ragsdale's Photos
Comment Wall (7 comments)
- At 6:35am on November 15, 2012,
Steve Cyrkin, Admin said…
Thanks, Michael.
- At 5:57pm on November 13, 2012,
Michael,
Do you have any witnessed Obama autographs from 2011+ you can add to this discussion?
http://live.autographmagazine.com/forum/topics/looking-for-an-opinion-on-an-obama-signature
Thanks
- At 5:52pm on August 31, 2010,
MaryLynn Schiavi said…
- Sorry I took so long to reply. Vince Esoldi is the owner of the suit. Here is his story:
He often struggles to breathe as he gets in and out of his Honda Civic that has logged over 330,000 miles. At the age of 63 and faced with high blood pressure and Lymphedema, Vince Esoldi sometimes feels as weathered as his car.
Forced to take early retirement because of his health, Esoldi, a lifelong resident of New Jersey now lives on a small pension and social security. After working on Broadway and at Radio City Music Hall for 25 years as a hair dresser and wardrobe professional, he is now selling his only treasure on eBay – a man’s suit with over 300 famous signatures on it.
After incurring almost a $100,000 of debt developing a book and a musical, his hope of survival hinges on the sale of his one-of-a-kind suit that is graced with the signatures of celebrities from the world of Hollywood, Broadway, politics, and sports that he began gathering 36 years ago.
The suit is now being auctioned on eBay with a starting bid of $164,000. Upon the sale of the suit, 20 percent of the proceeds will be donated to The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund, located in Englewood, New Jersey. Esoldi has formally committed to making the donation in memory of his friend and colleague Peter Howard, musical director, composer, and musician. An additional 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund for young actors.
- At 9:02am on August 14, 2010,
- Thank you! My Cousin Vinny and I are very excited about the eBay sale of this suit. Vinny needs funds for his retirement and he is eager to donate 20 percent of the Autograph Suit sale to The Actors Fund in Memory of his friend and colleague Composer and Musician Peter Howard.
- At 4:00pm on July 12, 2010,
Linda Rowan said…
- Hi,I used to be a political activist in the late 70's to mid 80's so I met a few politicians. I never thought of getting autographs at the time as I was more interested in my groups cause. It wasn't until I came across some antique political memroblia in my late father in laws collection,that I became interested. It mostly deals with Mexico,Pres.Porfirio Diaz,and some military items. So no,I don't buy...I did sell some of the memrobilia I had. Looking back,I now wish I had gotten some autographs:)
- At 9:09am on July 5, 2010,
jim Capobianco said…
- Very nice collection, well organized! Go to my site see if you like anything. Type in signed in the seach box. www.store.ebay.com/boston-sports-collect
- At 4:46pm on January 11, 2010,
Jason Boyd said…
- im extremely sorry but i cannot give you Mr. George W. Bush's address, because i only have his home address...
i have it because i have a friend who use to work in the secret service with his father, George Bush Sr. ~ but there was George W. Bush's office address in the January 2010 autograph magazine issue. i hope that helps, again im very sorry =(
-Jason Boyd.
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