8mm Forum: A Sad Film Story

This is topic A Sad Film Story in forum General Yak at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Chip Gelmini (Member # 44) on June 21, 2006, 12:00 PM:

Wednesday June 21st 2006

I regret to inform the 8mm community that Don Aikman, 81, Father of Jeffery Aikman (J-E-F Films) has passed away. Please note this has been a tragic accident, death by house fire.

It was Don Aikman that gave Jeff a projector, and later it was known as the legendary JEF Films Reg'd of Osterville Mass (His Mother Elsie Aikman, had passed a few years ago).

I am grieveing today, as Jeff called me on his way back from a business trip with the news. Don was a great man, and always liked the stories of film projecting when he was younger. He absolutley loved my setup in the basement, and always encouraged me to continue with the super 8 hobby. As much as I bought from them and hand picked through their warehouse as recently as 2 months ago; he will be missed forever.

Now I am not sure if this post belongs here or not, but I would appreciate if the administrators gave just alittle consent for the intended purpose.

Postal mails, cards, letters, etc can be mailed to me personally and I will forward to the Aikman Family:

Jeff Aikman & Family
c/o Chip Gelmini
Post Office Box 1905
Mashpee, Ma. 02649-1905 USA

Closing thoughts.....

I am very close to this family and would really like to give them some cards or letters from former or current film owners. Thanks so much in advance for any help. We all work so hard to keep this hobby alive. And now there is cause to thank those who have granted our wishes.

Sincerely,

CHIP GELMINI R.I.P. DON and may you forever enjoy the company of your wife Elsie again.

[ June 22, 2006, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: Chip Gelmini ]

Posted by Kevin Faulkner (Member # 6) on June 21, 2006, 12:32 PM:

Sad story Chip. I certainly remeber all the JEF films trilers etc which had been released over the years and yes he will be another name from the past sadly missed.

This is an ok place for this to be mentioned.

Kev.

Posted by Chip Gelmini (Member # 44) on June 21, 2006, 01:17 PM:

Thanks Kevin. Appreciate your comments.

CG

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on June 22, 2006, 01:31 PM:

Chip-
Thank you for providing that information. That certainly is very sad news. I'm sure this is a very hard time for Jeff. Its good that you are a friend to the Aikman family and can be there for support.

Please, on behalf of myself and the 8mm forum community, give Jeff our deep condolences.

Nick.

Posted by Chip Gelmini (Member # 44) on June 22, 2006, 02:35 PM:

Police and fire officials are waiting for the state medical examiner to confirm the identity of a man who died in a house fire early yesterday morning, but family and friends who live near the home are assuming the worst.
The blaze at 143 Hickory Hill Circle was reported by a resident on a nearby street who saw smoke and fire shortly after 5 a.m.
Neighbors reported 86-year-old Donald Aikman lived in the house with his son, Jeffrey. They said the son was away on business at the time of the fire, and he had been contacted about the blaze.
''The deceased was found in the bedroom,'' Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills Fire Lt. Sean Greene said.
The fire spread from the bedroom into the attic of the split-level home and caused the roof above the bedroom to collapse, Greene said. Firefighters extended a ladder above the home and put out the fire within 45 minutes of arriving at the burning house.
Five area fire departments assisted in fighting the blaze and covering stations, according to Greene.
The state fire marshal and Barnstable police are investigating the cause of the fire. As of yesterday afternoon, the blaze did not appear to be suspicious.
Friends and neighbors appeared convinced yesterday that Donald Aikman perished in the fire.
''He was absolutely devoted to his dad,'' Kristine Wise of Falmouth said of Jeffrey Aikman. ''This is just so outrageous.''
Wise has worked as a graphics designer with Jeffrey Aikman for 11 years and knows the family well.
''Don was tall - so tall and he always had a smile,'' Wise said. ''He wore these bow ties all the time, too. He was one of those people who believed that when you go out in public, you make sure you look presentable.''
Jeffrey Aikman called Wise early yesterday morning and asked her to go to his house and keep him updated via cell phone as he drove back to the Cape from Arkansas, she said.
Wise arrived at the home just before 8 a.m., stood behind the yellow police tape, and told the concerned son what she could over the phone.
Next-door neighbor Dale Urbanik said he last saw Donald and Jeffrey Aikman sitting together on the front lawn of their home on Father's Day. Donald Aikman had begun to have difficulty getting around, and neither he nor his son were smokers, according to Urbanik, who has been neighbors with Donald Aikman for more than 20 years.
Jeffrey Aikman owns what was at one time the largest private film library in the world, and ran his business, JEF Films Inc., out of the Osterville home.
His collection of rare films includes Adolf Hitler's home movies and Thomas Edison's first film. Most of the films are stored in warehouses across the country, but the home did contain a lot of film memorabilia, according to Urbanik.
Wise said Donald Aikman sold real estate in Canada before moving to Cape Cod for the marriage of one of his two daughters. He also had achieved a measure of success as an entertainer, she added.
Donald Aikman and his wife, Violet, were singers, and he had his own orchestra. The Don Aikman Orchestra performed with well-known musicians including Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw, Wise said.

''It's just so sad because Jeff had just been telling me all of those old stories around Father's Day,'' she said.
Violet Aikman died about six years ago, Wise said. ''He really loved his family and missed his wife,'' she said.
Every night before bed, Donald Aikman read the Bible and ''talked with his wife,'' she said.

Posted by Jan Bister (Member # 332) on June 22, 2006, 09:21 PM:

[Frown]

Posted by Chip Gelmini (Member # 44) on June 28, 2006, 11:07 AM:

Wednesday June 28, 2006

The Cape Cod Times newspaper officially reports the confirmation. That yes, it was Don Aikman who was killed in the fire. Via autopspy dental records.

CG

Posted by Chip Gelmini (Member # 44) on July 04, 2006, 11:37 AM:

July 4th 2006

Mr. Aikman's Obituary:

James D.A. 'Don' Aikman, 86

Prominent film collector; orchestra leader; Realtor
OSTERVILLE - James Donald Alexander ''Don'' Aikman, 86, died June 21 in a fire at his home.
He was the husband of Violet Edith Elsie (Atkins) Aikman for 56 years.
Mr. Aikman was born and raised in Montreal. After graduating from Strathcona Academy, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force.
With his wife by his side as a vocalist, he formed a big band, Don Aikman and his Orchestra, in which he played saxophone and clarinet. During his musical career he played with legends including Maynard Ferguson, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, and Oscar Peterson.
A lifelong film buff, Mr. Aikman had a love for collecting rare movies and bought a movie theater named the Alouette. He later became a Realtor in Montreal.
He moved to Cape Cod in 1979.
Survivors include a son, Jeffrey Howard Aikman of Osterville; two daughters, Janie Susan Barber of Hyannisport and Donna Jo-Anne Polak of Boston; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral will be held in Penetanguishene, Ontario. Burial is private.

Posted by Jan Bister (Member # 332) on July 04, 2006, 12:42 PM:

Farewell, Don.... I never knew you but you'll be missed all the same...

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on July 04, 2006, 06:43 PM:

I'm very sorry to learn of this sad news, here and via a message on http://16mmfilmtalk.com/
I hadn't previously heard much about Don, but I recall Jeff's occasional contributions to forums, and I also have some of the Jef Films trailers.

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on March 07, 2019, 05:13 PM:

Since this was just brought up I thought I would bump this old thread.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on March 08, 2019, 11:59 AM:

Thanks! I am looking for any info that I can get concerning Jef films!

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on March 08, 2019, 12:07 PM:

That would be interesting to see!

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