LeMay-America’s Car Museum receives $700,000 from Nancy LeMay

Recently, Old Cars Weekly read a preview of the upcoming opening of LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Wash. Now it appears Harold LeMay's widow, Nancy, has upped the ante to epic proportions to make the dream a reality as the museum prepares to open in early June. Read on to learn about her generous gift.

TACOMA, Wash. (April, 23 2012) – Nancy LeMay today donated $700,000 to LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM), the 165,000 square-foot museum set to open June 2 in Tacoma, Wash. The ACM concept, originated in 1998 as a way to house the vast car, motorcycle and truck collection of Nancy’s husband, Harold, has evolved through the years to become much more than a museum building.

The nine-acre ACM campus – with the four-level museum as the hub – features a 3.5-acre show field to host everything from vintage car events to rock concerts and drive-in movies. There is also a gift shop, meeting space, car storage, café/restaurant, banquet hall, educational center/library and rotating galleries using cars, music, film and photos for displays such as “the Harold LeMay exhibit.”

“The museum is the realization of Harold’s dream,” said Nancy LeMay. “It’s absolutely stunning and the perfect home for so many of his cars. I can’t wait until the grand opening.”

Harold, who passed away in 2000 at age 81, at one time owned more than 3,500 vehicles and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the largest privately-owned automotive collection in the world.

“We’re delighted to have Nancy’s continued backing as we move closer to the grand opening,” said David Madeira, ACM president and CEO. “We built our museum (that began construction in June 2010) during some tough economic times, but Nancy stuck with us while others said it couldn’t be accomplished. When Nancy presented the check to me, she said she wanted to ‘help us properly open,’ which is exactly what we’ll do during our day-long festivities on June 2. We deeply appreciate her and Doug’s (Nancy’s son) generosity.”

Nancy and Doug LeMay sit on the ACM board and, in addition to monetary donations, have contributed hundreds of automobiles through the years to the new museum.

Additional details regarding the grand opening and upcoming events at America’s Car Museum can be found at www.lemaymuseum.org.

ABOUT America’s Car Museum (www.lemaymuseum.org)

State Farm Presents LeMay – America’s Car Museum, set for a June 2012 opening in downtown Tacoma, Wash., explores how the automobile has fulfilled a distinctive role at the core of the American experience and shaped our society. The spacious Museum with rotating exhibits is designed to be the centerpiece for automotive history as well as an educational center and library. The campus, located adjacent to the Tacoma Dome, also contains a 3.5-acre show field, theatre, café, banquet hall and meeting facilities. To become an ACM member, volunteer or make a donation, visit (www.lemaymuseum.org)