Charles Wilbur "Stretch" Crisp, a retired distillery supervisor and collector of vintage Jaguars, was pronounced dead Saturday at Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pa.
The Woodlawn resident was 66.
Mr. Crisp was attending a Cars of England at Oakbourne Mansion classic automobile meet in Westtown, Pa., when, while accepting an award for one of his Jaguars with his wife, he was stricken with the massive heart attack that took his life, family members said.
"He was having the time of his life after winning a perfect score for one of his prized Jaguars," said Gail S. F. Cox, a daughter-in-law who lives in Charlotte, N.C. "He was doing what he loved with people he loved."
Mr. Crisp, the son of an engineer and an educator, was born in Greensboro, N.C. He spent his early years in Greensboro and Marion, N.C., before moving with his family to Cheverly.
He was a 1961 graduate of Fairmount Heights High School and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1965 from Hampton University.
Mr. Crisp, who earned the nichname "Stretch" because of his 6-feet-5-inch height, worked for Joseph E. Seagram and Sons for 35 years at plants in New Jersey and New York, while living in Somerset, N.J.
He began his career as a chemist and was promoted to lead packing engineer and later was bottling line supervisor.
His last position before retiring in 2000 was in corporate, where he designed and implemented package coding, security packing, inventory control systems and the electronic package monitoring system that is still used by the company.
He also was a founder and first president of Associated Managers, a black professional managers organization that helps recruit, promote and retain black Seagram managers. With the support of the Bronfman family, owners of Seagram, the group was able to establish a minority scholarship fund that has contributed more than $2 million to historically black colleges and universities.
Mr. Crisp, who moved to Woodlawn in 2000, owned two 1993 Jaguar XJR roadsters and a 1971 Jaguar E-type.
He was a member of the boards of John Paul Regional Catholic School in Woodlawn and Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Mr. Crisp enjoyed fishing and boating, and was a member and past commodore of the Neptune Yacht Club.
At his request, some of his ashes will be spread at his three favorite fishing locations — the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay and Lake Gaston in North Carolina.
A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday at his church, 929 Ingleside Ave., Catonsville.
Also surviving are his wife of 15 years, the former Patricia Murphy; two sons, Charles B. Crisp of Miami and Ira W. Cox of Charlotte, N.C.; a daughter, Kelly R. Crisp of Cheverly; and three grandchildren. An earlier marriage to the former Amy West ended in divorce.