Purple Heart, Art Collection Stolen, Home Ransacked by Thief
Donation protected
This GoFundMe is for those who have heard about the burglary and wish to donate to the victims.
July 5, 2025, Greg B. returned from a series of emergency room visits and hospitalizations to find that his home had been ransacked and looted, and all of his letters, documents, photos, and important papers had been strewn about in piles around the house. His home was an unrecognizable mess, and it had been the scene of a heinous invasion of privacy and trespass.
All of his letters, documents, photos, and important papers were strewn about in piles two feet high. In his words, it was as though a "bomb" had gone off.
Greg has tried to uncover the full extent of the theft and ransacking, and so far, he believes the following things were taken:
LIVING ROOM
- 1950's child's pedal firetruck.
- 4'x5' Rauschenberg Poster
- 2x Roger Brown edition Time Magazine Covers.
DINING ROOM
- His sculpture Namdrib (1982), once displayed in the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art (see), which was eight-feet tall and ten-feet wide. (Truly, a brazen act.)
- A sculpted chair, of papier mache and wood, crafted in the appearance of Abraham Lincoln.
- Another sculpted chair of George Washington.
- The copper wires to his air conditioner were cut, the controls damaged.
- Silver Certificates, $20s, $10s, $1s.
- Foreign Currency.
- A vintage record player (1960s).
- Vintage records (1950s).
Center Room
- A 1948 Western Electric Phone (another antique).
Breakfast Room
- 1970s Barstool
Bedroom and Studio
- A Purple Heart award belonging to his late father.
- His federal passport.
- His stamp collection.
- His coin collection, twelve or more books, likely worth $5,000+.
- His Auburn class ring.
- Extension Cords.
Office
- More record albums, like the Beetles, Iron Butterfly, and 3 Dog Night.
- A scrapbook of childhood memories.
- A scrapbook of 1940s history.
- His piggy bank, and contents. (Silver coins).
- Two video projectors.
Garage
- Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner
- Weed Eater
Replacing all these items may be difficult. It is uncertain how much it may cost to replace the items that were stolen, and unfortunately, Alabama's crime victim's compensation fund is for the sole benefit of the victims of violent crime; the fund will not cover property loss or damage. The perpetrator(s), if found, will be insolvent, and no guarantee exists at this time that they will be able to be found.
It's also going to be harder for Greg, 76, to now reorganize his home, which was left in a state of chaos.
It is also sad to know that as the victim of a crime, he may never retrieve those valuables, or replace those hard-to-find items. One-of-a-kind items and keepsakes like the scrapbook of childhood memories and his late father's purple heart were particularly heartless for the criminals to take.
This GoFundMe is for the anyone who hears about what happened to Greg, who was not responsible for all of this, and wants to donate to help recover the irreplaceable stolen works of his art, pieces of personal property, and the damaged or lost goods.
Organizer
Aaron Palmer
Organizer
Montgomery, AL