Hi! I just found this site! My uncle, George Coleman, was transportation cordinator for John Wayne. He knew him for many, many years. When my uncle died, he and his family attended the funeral. For Christmas, John Wayne and Pilar would give my aunt and uncle bottles of champayne, which I still have two bottles of. I'm sure that they're no good to drink but I still have them. I was able to talk to Michael once when he called the house. Anyway, my aunt and uncle were very found of Mr. Wayne. I do have some pictures that I received from him when I was really young but I think that they were autographed my his secretary. I still have several others from when my aunt died, which was after my uncle died. Nice to see this site! :

Hi Marcypal,

Welcome to the board!!

Also, I wouldn't let anything happen to those bottles of Champaign. Boy, those would look nice over here in my JW collection. ;)

Kevin

Kinda of cool to hear personal experience with JW. I think that is really cool. Look forward to seeing you here more.

Hi Marcypal!
Welcome! What really caught my eye when first reading your message was the name George Coleman. I knew a George Coleman that played music whith my Dad. He passed away a few years ago. I'm sure there are many George Colemans around still.
Getting back to John, I'm sure those bottles are very very special. That's awesome that you thought enough of him to keep them.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
LittleDuke

My uncle George died in 1972. He was on location in Mexico with Wayne making a movie when he had a heart attack. They flew him back to Van Nuys, Ca, where he died in the hospital. He never played any type of music. His whole world was making movies with Wayne. He also drove Wayne everywhere. They were friends also. They had owned property together in Shasta until he died. It was nice to see him in person. He and his wife, Pilar did not come to the house after the funeral but Waynes daughter did. Two of his sons helped carry my uncles casket.
We always got stuff that my uncle brought home from Waynes house. One time they redecorated their house and I got the old drapes. That was when I was pretty young but I took them home from my aunt and uncles house and we used them in our house. I still have a book of Snoopy that was Ethan's. He wrote his name in it and my boys had it when they were small.

Marcypal,
Was your uncle an extra in the movies or did he do some stunt work? The George I knew had a nick name of Pud. He was in his sixties when he passed away. He had cancer. What a terrible illness. I often wondered if John's first wife was still living. I did see where his daughter Toni died. I asked that not too long ago on this message board. Some said they thought she was still living and that she was in her nineties. Aissa is an attorney, she has a web page for her office. I have the book she wrote, John Wayne, My Father. What a good book. Ethan I understand has been in a few movies and on a soap opera. I never thought to look for him. Do you know what any of the other children are doing? I guess they are not children now but you know what I mean.
The Comancheros are on now!
Have a good one,
Little Duke

My uncle was the Transportation coordinator for many years. I think since the 40's. Whenever they went on location, he's the one that arranged for the food, taking anything that they had to use to shoot the movies. When he got back from location, he broughts lots of food home. I always thought that was so unfair because they didn't need it. It was just my aunt and uncle so their freezer would be full of steaks, etc. When they were in town, he would drive John Wayne to wherever he wanted to go. So we always had his car in front of our house. The one at the time was a large station wagon with the top designed with a bubble so he'd fit in it. My uncle was small in height, on the heavy side. He had a temper too. Didn't mind telling people off if they got in his way. I don't remember who, but on one of the movies that he worked on, he (my uncle) got into a fight and hit the actor so hard he fell into the water. I just can't remember who it was.
No, I don't know what the kids of Wayne have done. Always had a crush on Patrick though. My heart throb at the time was Ricky Nelson. I wish now that I would have pushed to go see their movie Rio Bravo while it was being made. But I was so shy, that I didn't. I lived with my aunt and uncle for a while, going to college in the Valley.

My daughter is 10 and she watched Mclintock and thought Patrick was so cute. Mind you that my kids have watched a lot of John Wayne movies. I told her I always thought he was cute also. I think the older Michael Wayne gets the more he looks like his dad.
Thanks for the stories I love to read about them. You don't bore me with them.
Little Duke