This comes as a total shock - I just emailed him not that long ago.
Like many of the rest of you, he was my "go-to" guy on fine sporterized M1903s. His collection was stunning! But more than that, he was always willing to help. When I obtained a Griffin & Howe-modified M1903 a couple of years back, he spent a lot of time on the phone and email "walking" me through what I had. As John Beard said, I benefitted by his friendship and I'll miss him.
He literally "wrote the book" on the subject of fine sporterized M1903s and he will be missed - both by me and by the M1903 community.
Godspeed and rest in peace, Michael!
"We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
--C.S. Lewis