This has been a challenging year, filled with stories that we will undoubtedly be telling for years to come. Many of us have persevered through hardships and heartbreaks. My thoughts and reflections are with you and our global community.
For institutions like the Automotive Hall of Fame, challenging times require us to take advantage of new opportunities when things seem impossible. Fortunately, we have some great examples of perseverance in our awardees. Some of these examples are highlighted here in this newsletter.
Richard E. “Dick” Dauch supported manufacturing education as a tool for industry success; Battista and Sergio Pininfarina followed their vision and launched Carrozzeria Pinin Farina and expanded it globally; Soichiro Honda found opportunity in the wreckage of WWII; and Ed Welburn who fell in love with Cadillac at 5 years old and never lost sight of his dream to work at General Motors.
We have taken these lessons to heart. When we postponed the 2020 Induction and Awards Ceremony, we pivoted to focus on developing and preserving our heritage collection by launching a broad effort to bring our archives and assets online. With an 81-year history of awarding and collection of historic materials, this will be a multi-year project to bring all our full collection to you virtually. This year, we were also able to bring you honoree interviews, lectures, scholarships, and new content drawn from our collection.
We know that 2021 will be equally challenging. Our goals include celebrating our class of 2020/2021 Honorees – Mong Koo Chung, groundbreaking leader of Hyundai, Tom Gallagher leader of Genuine Parts, Jay Leno founder of Jay Leno’s Garage, and Helene Rother, the first female designer hired by General Motors. We are planning to continue our Honoree Lecture Series for students aspiring to automotive careers and are developing additional awardee interviews to share with you virtually.
I’m excited to celebrate with you in person at the Induction and Awards Ceremony on July 22, 2021.
Sarah Cook
President
Automotive Hall of Fame
By Nick Gargaro, Alumni Relations
Sergio and Battista Pininfarina. Photo courtesy of Pininfarina (left). In his own words, Paolo describes the significance of this anniversary: “In its genes, Pininfarina today is the same as it was in the 30s: the central role of design, aesthetic sensitivity capable of creating timeless beauty, constant striving for innovation, the strength of a tradition that brings together industry, technology and stylistic research, the capacity to interpret the client’s requirements thus maintaining its brand identity, and a propensity for long-term collaborations. These values, together with the commitment of the entire Group, will enable us to build a bridge towards the future.”
