TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa man is a one-man museum.
Rudy Scaglione, 82, has been collecting memorabilia for about 70 years. He started saving magazines, newspapers, photographs and other collectibles about the time he became a teenager.
He never stopped.
He has now amassed memorabilia related to historic events like the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, the moon landing and the civil rights movement. He’s also accumulated an enormous collection of items linked to Hollywood, especially focused on starlets like Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.
“You can see, I was more than fascinated,” Scaglione told Spectrum Bay News 9, pointing to his collection. “It’s become obsessive, actually.”
Scaglione stores his collection in plastic tubs and bookcases at his assisted living facility in Tampa. But recently, he decided to share his ‘obsession’ with his fellow residents at Brookdale Bayshore.
The pop culture exhibit, spread out in the facility’s lobby, spanned numerous tables.
“The first thing I think about is how old I am now,” Scaglione said. “I go ‘Rudy, you’re 82. You lived all this!’”
“I’m glad that he saved it because I know many of us have had some of these pictures, and we just gave them away or threw them out,” said Millie Post, who helped Scaglione set up the exhibit.
Scaglione said his favorite piece of memorabilia is a thank-you letter he received from Taylor, who appreciated Scaglione sending her flowers and a get-well card when she was in the hospital.
The rest of the memorabilia he either bought at newsstands, saved from newspaper or magazine subscriptions or purchased online.