Part of the Ford Family

Dear Chris and Jaime,

When I heard that you were getting one of the American Idol’s Ford Fusions, I couldn’t believe it.  I watched American Idol last year and this year.  I saw this year’s episode when David Cook (last year’s winner) gave Kris Allen and Adam Lambert keys to their Ford Fusion.  I don’t know if you watched any American Idol, but once the 13 contestants were announced, Ford had commercials that involved the weekly contestants.  These commercials were very creative, catchy, and fun!

I then began thinking about my family’s connections to the Ford Motor Company.  So listed below is some of my memories.  Hope you enjoy reading my musings:

After WWII, my Dad left Nebraska for Detroit, MI to begin a job at Lincoln Mercury. His wife followed via a train.  At Lincoln Mercury, my Dad met Hal Rice.  That friendship continued throughout the years.  I remember going to Hal and Jeannie’s house as a child in Berkley and playing with their kids.  Later, Hal married my Mom after the deaths of both their spouses.  Your Grandpa Hal retired from the Tractor Division of Ford Motor Company at the age of 55-56.

Growing up in the 1950’s, going to the Ford Rotunda in Dearborn at Christmas time was special. What a magical place!!!  Christmas decorations all over the place and window displays of Christmas and Winter animations, and stairways leading up to Santa Claus. Santa Claus overlooked all the festivities.  Unfortunately, the Ford Rotunda does not exist today.  It burned down and was not rebuilt.

In the late 1950’s or early 1960’s, I remember going to the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge steel mill.  Back then there as none of this overt concern for safety.  When you took a tour of a steel mill, you experienced what it took to build a car/truck.  I remember walking on the catwalk that was very very warm and looking down at red hot molten steel being poured into molds.  That was fascinating!  Besides being warm, the Rouge plant was dirty, grimy, and dusty.  At lot of hard work went into building cars and trucks.

Of course, there’s Greenfield Village and Museum.  I have lots of memories of Greenfield Village and the Museum.  I went there with my family, as a Girl Scout (we spent the night), with your Dad, and with you and your sister.  In fact, your Dad and I recently visited the Museum in early Spring and had a great time.

The first car I ever own, was a Ford Cortina.  It was built in England and imported by Ford.  The boyfriend of one of my college roommates (my Senior year) had a maroon Cortina and he really liked it.  I think it was the Fall of 1969 that I bought my light blue, standard shift, 4 cylinder, 4 door Cortina.  I loved that car!!  After graduation, I drove it back and forth from Illinois to Ann Arbor (to see a certain young man by the name of Don).  I had that car for only a couple of years, because Ford was no longer going to service it.  Back then, taking a car in frequently for tune ups was the norm.  So I reluctantly traded my Cortina in.

The next Ford Motor product we owned was the Ford Explorer.  We paid extra for the front seats and those were the most comfortable seats that we have ever had.   We still miss those seats.  We had that Explorer for several years and had a lot of good trips with it.

Enjoy your visit to the Ford Motor Company!

Love Mom (Mary)