Local Collector Creates

Black History Month Display

“If it happened, I want to know about it,” said local American history collector Ed Leone, Oneonta, as he explained his love of collecting memorabilia. “If it existed, I want to own it. I just don’t have room for the pyramids.” Leone has spent the past 30 year collecting all sorts of artifacts and items relating to American history. In honor of Black History Month, Leone rented the display case in front of Community Bank on Main Street, Oneonta, and filled it with his collection of items relating to African American history in the United States. Pictured at right are Leone’s painting of boxing legend Muhammed Ali and a t-shirt featuring a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. “It’s an important part of our history,” said Leone. “I look at this as just another part of American History that needs to be preserved.” (Parker Fish/AllOTSEGO.com)