Keith Crain, Automotive News recognize Edsel Ford II at dinner in his honor at The Auto Show
Edsel Ford II is widely known in the industry as a dealer guy. But he is also beloved by auto racers as a racing fan and is highly respected in Detroit as a philanthropist. At the reception and dinner in his honor, Jan. 31 at the 2013 Washington Auto Show, Ford accepted the fifth Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award.
Last years award recipient from Crain, megadealer and racing legend Roger Penske, was on hand to introduce Ford, praising his ability to step outside the shadow of the Ford legacy. Penske said of Ford that it was not unusual to find him at a race, talking to the team. On the business side, said Penske, Edsel Ford led Ford Motor Credit to prosperity as other Detroit finance companies were languishing.
As chairman of the Detroit 300, Edsel Ford became a catalyst for the revitalization of the city, added Penske. His efforts on behalf of juvenile diabetes and the National Salvation Army are similarly well regarded.
In accepting the award from Crain, Edsel Ford spoke of his work in dealer relations around the world. My father told me, an auto company without a strong dealer network is like an eight-cylinder car with four cylinders missing, he said. Dealers are the engine that drives the companys success.
Ford said he learned from his father, Henry Ford II, the importance of sharing his talents and fortune with the world. I bear my gifts into the world for the people among whom I was placed, said the younger Ford at the Auto Show dinner in his honor, quoting his father.
Other luminaries who attended The Automotive News reception and dinner were earlier Keith Crain award recipients, including Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich) and consumer advocate Ralph Nader. (Keith Crain made a point of having four of the five recipients of his lifetime Achievement Award on hand at this years Washington Auto Show, the only one missing being the late race car design icon, Carroll Shelby, who died last year. Additionally, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray was on hand and led off the dinner speakers, praising The Washington Auto Shows positioning as the Public Policy Show on the global industry circuit where he has personally been supportive. The mayor greeted fellow city leaders, D.C. Council members Jack Evans and David Catania who were in attendance also.
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