The musical box collectors have lost a great contributor to the
knowledge and history of musical boxes: Luuk Goldhoorn of Utrecht,
Netherlands.  Luuk and I traveled many miles together in Europe and
the USA as we searched out collectors and museums that had mechanical
music collections.  It was great fun to enter a museum and have the
curator immediately take us to the storeroom or workshop to show us
a recent acquisition or unusual item.

Luuk was well known and respected wherever we went.  He had spent
a great deal of time in Austria while he researched for his book,
"Die Österreichische Spielwerkemanufaktur" and was welcomed wherever
he went.  He gave an interesting talk on Austrian Musical Boxes at
the MBSI Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

He had a particularly good relationship with the mechanical music
museum in Utrecht.  At one point, after we had gazed into the glass
cases for some period of time, the late Jan Jaap Haspels came into
the room, handed Luuk a large key-ring, and told us to help ourselves.
He locked the door as he left and we spent several hours, playing
everything in the room.  Many items hadn't been played in years.

Luuk also studied early postal history, with the same thoroughness
as he studied musical boxes.  He wrote papers on the subject in Dutch,
German and English.

Luuk was a very private person and seldom invited anyone into his
home.  He had a very specialized collection, mostly very early and
often unique musical items.  It was a great privilege to know Luuk
well, and to share many excursions to see a particular musical box
or a massive collection.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

Beatrice Farmer