GERALD WILLIAM FOCHTMAN (1951-2024)
The E-Sylum (2/25/2024)
Book Content
GERALD WILLIAM FOCHTMAN (1951-2024)
Gerald "Jerry" Fochtman died Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, after complications due to heart failure. Thanks to Benny Bolin for passing the word. A fractional currency specialist and editor of the Fractional Currency Collectors Board (FCCB) newsletter, Jerry was a contributor to both The E-Sylum and the Newman Numismatic Portal. -Editor
Jerry was born and grew up in Charlevoix, Michigan, and was one of four sons to Bonnie and Richard Fochtman.
He went to school at Western Michigan University and met the love of his life in Kalamazoo. He married Donna Armstrong in Traverse City, Michigan, on October 11, 1981. A marriage that lasted more than 40 years.
The couple moved from Michigan to Houston, Texas, in 1982 and in 1986 they became parents to triplets Lindsey, Jason and Krystal. Three years later, they added another son, Joseph.
In his personal time, Jerry was an avid collector of fractional currency. A passion he began when he was younger collecting coins. He later won several awards for his knowledgeable presentations on various fractional and historical topics.
As his sons grew up, Jerry picked up his involvement in Boy Scouts of America, which he had earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a young man. He saw both Jason and Joseph obtain the rank of Eagle Scout and remained involved in various leadership roles well past his sons' involvement.
Jerry is survived by his wife, Donna, children: Lindsey, Jason (Sarah), Krystal (Thomas) and Joseph, grandchildren: Emma, Julia and Abigail and brothers: David Fochtman and Mike Fochtman.
Bill Brandimore writes:
"Jerry was an excellent exhibiter and we got to visit a lot at shows, when we were able to get together at shows like Memphis and Kansas city. Jerry was originally from Michigan so whenever we visited over the internet he would always ask me how the weather was in Michigan. I know he was active in Scouting, as he told me several times about his involvement in Camping trips with the Boy Scouts. We always enjoyed our conversations and he did a terrific job putting together our Newsletters. I will miss our contacts and his terrific Newsletters."
Rick Melamed writes:
"It's with a sad heart that I write this memorial for Jerry Fochtman. He was a diligent editor andtook great pride in the Newsletter. I was proud of my contributions and his stewardship. Jerryand I were friends for 20 years. His enthusiasm for the hobby had no bounds - it wascontagious, and I was glad to be along for the ride. We had countless conversations aboutFractionals - he was the first person I'd reach out if I had a question. And you know what, 95%of the time he had the answer. I know there were many things he wanted to accomplish in thehobby, and I'm dismayed he never got to finish them. I learned much about the FractionalCurrency through him - especially on the more esoteric aspects like Negative Essays,Experimentals and Specimen notes.
Jerry always strived to educate and make us all better writers and better people. A few yearsago, Jerry phoned me and spent 2 hours teaching me the finer points on editing, the use ofPhotoshop and how to manipulate images in articles. His lesson had a profound impact on mywriting and I'm forever appreciative for his guidance.
One of the proudest achievements we accomplished together was an article we co-wrote for theSPMC Paper Money magazine on the 4th issue seal plates on the 10¢ Liberty Fractional. Whenthe BEP sent all of its archives to the Smithsonian, if was Jerry who spent countless hourscataloguing all the Fractional plates after the Smithsonian scanned them onto their website.Unfortunately, the Smithsonian had no index, so Jerry went through thousands of plates to puttogether a cohesive, organized list with images. We used that information for an importantarticle last year that finally gave us clarity on all the 4th issue seal plate numbers (10¢ Liberty,15¢ Columbia, 25¢ Washington and 50¢ Lincoln). It also gave us a clearer picture of the sheetlayout for the different types. We learned that the Fr. 1257 plain paper Fractional was issued insheets of 25. The blue end Fr. 1259 was laid out in a tete-beche format of 16 (2x8). Thisinformation was unknown and it was through Jerry's efforts that we gained a bit more knowledgeof our beloved hobby of Fractionals.
For all of us lucky to call Jerry a friend, we will miss you very much. We are working to keep theFCCB going and to continue the newsletter - it's the least we can do to honor his memory.
We love you Jerry..."
Thanks, everyone.See also Pete Smith's article elsewhere in this issue about Jerry's research on author Daniel W. Valentine. -Editor
To read the complete online obituary, see:
Gerald William Fochtman(https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/kingwood-tx/gerald-fochtman-11670761)
To watch Jerry's ANA Money Talks presentation on Dr. Daniel Valentine, see:
Money Talks - Dr. Daniel Valentine: A Numismatic Pioneer by Jerry Fochtman(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm1ic6OcobE&t=6s)
