Jack Siefert, born Jacob William Siefert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 30, 1918, met renowned bandleader, instrumentalist and composer Woodrow Charles "Woody" Herman (born Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 16th, 1913) during the band's engagement at Ocean Pier in Wildwood, New Jersey in 1937. That July 4th meeting resulted in a close personal friendship that lasted until Woody Herman's death on October 29, 1987. Siefert also served as Herman's unofficial archivist. He catalogued and lovingly preserved recordings, photographs, correspondence, concert posters and other invaluable materials documenting the career and impact of the multi-instrumentalists' aggregations, often referred to as "Herman's Herds." These materials formed the basis of the Jack Siefert Collection which was donated to the Museum in August of 1998.