In my short dealings with Tony, I found him to be one of the most generous and STUBBORN individuals I've run across in this hobby.
For those who weren't around at the time, I experienced a 'problem' with the lining in the jacket I received as a gift. The way it hung on me, the long embroidered panel on the left hand side caused the left side of the jacket to 'gate' away from my body, for lack of a better description. I dropped Tony an email inquiring about this, and letting him know it was happening in case someone else mentioned it to him. Nothing big...just something I experienced, and made it difficult to wear when in the old Plymouth, as anytime I sat down in the car, that panel also pushed the left side of my jacket straight up, with the collar almost up to my ear. It just wouldn't relax.
Unfortunately, he took it as criticism of his work, and a flurry of PM's, posts and emails ensued.
I was so exasperated that I couldn't get him to understand it was a simple personal experience and not an attack on him OR his craftsmanship, I even told him to just forget the whole thing, I'd send the jacket back and he could just give it away. He finally called me, and once I explained it, he said "OH! I didn't understand!" He made a post stating the same, and asked for me to send the jacket back so he could replace the lining. I said, 'ok', but I only need that panel replaced, if that's what he wanted to do.
The emails kept going back and forth....first he wanted to make me a brand new jacket....I said 'no need!'......then he wanted to completely reline the jacket.....he asked me if I wanted a side entry inside pocket installed....then he asked if I wanted his 'travel zip' installed in the pocket. I kept telling him 'no, but I appreciate it....' and he KEPT hammering at me with those 2 sentence emails of capitalized letters saying' LET ME MAKE THIS RIGHT!" He wouldn't relent! I finally said 'OK, Tony, do what ever you want!"
Would you believe (yeah, you would), I got back a work of art, and him posting AND emailing me a big "THANK YOU!!!" for 'helping him' help others in fixing my jacket.
I still don't understand what he meant, but he was like a bulldog. I simply mentioned a problem I was experiencing due to the cut of MY jacket, and he wore out my email account trying to 'make things right'. I never could get it across to him they weren't wrong in the first place...it was just a problem I was having with MY jacket. He still placed my assigned number of the 777 and 'Indy IV' in two single lines inside the pocket. Unless you look for them, you don't even know they're there.
The very last time he and I spoke, it was regarding the zipper failing on the post side, and him telling me he had been having problems with those particular zips, and to return it for a heavy duty zipper....which I did. He made sure it was done and shipped back to me before he left on vacation.....the one he never returned from.
Anyway, my dealings were brief, but fast and furious, and phone calls were animated and filled with laughter. In my short experience with him, he was a nice man, and very nice to me.
Regards! Michaelson