PHOTOS OF HENRY FORD'S RESTORED SPEED BOAT "EVANGELINE"

(Photo courtesy The Rosenfeld Collection, Mystic Seaport)

EXCERPT OF STORY FROM WOODYBOATER.COM

This September 1926 photo was taken at the Harmsworth Race on the Detroit River. In the foreground are Gar Wood’s Miss America’s III, IV, and V. On the right is the Excelsior-France challenger.

On the left is the Evangeline, with Ray Dahlinger on the deck, Henry Ford behind the wheel in the light suit with his foot partially covering the name EVANGELINE on the side, and Evangeline Dahlinger over his right shoulder. 

Also in this photo far left is Horace Dodge, and standing center-right on the dock in white coveralls is Garfield Wood. The tall, narrow white-sided yacht in the background is Gar Wood’s 70-foot Gar Sr.

Guest Post by Henry Dominguez

Just when we thought we had come across everything about Evangeline Dahlinger, something new arises. Check out this story for some amazing material on Henry Ford’s speedboat, which he named—believe it or not—Evangeline.

After researching Ford history for the past forty years, I, too, had just found out about this boat (although the material in this website is new material to me).

I was reading the Reminiscences of Al Esper, one of Henry Ford’s employees who was a mechanic and worked on his and Edsel’s boats, and he mentions in his interview that Henry had a speedboat named Evangeline. (Later, Esper became manager of the Ford test track.)

EDSEL FORD'S DARKEST SECRETS: BY HENRY DOMINGUEZ

Guest Post by Henry Dominguez:

Over the years, various authors have intimated things about Edsel Ford, but have never been able to prove them. That he was an alcoholic, for example, or that he was a homosexual. As a historian, I too had wondered about these things and was always on the lookout for ways to prove anything about this most elusive Ford.

I once asked Frank Hershey, the marvelous automobile designer, who worked for most of the large automobile companies—including Ford—throughout the thirties, forties, and fifties, and was a homosexual himself, if he thought Edsel Ford was gay.

  
“I don’t know,” he said, “but he could have been. He liked art…, he dressed sharp, and he wore fine jewelry. I like those things, too. (Wink, wink.) Back in those days, you kept it a secret if you were gay. I did, and I’m as gay as they come. Maybe Edsel did, too.”

After I got to know Bob Gregorie well, I was dying to ask him what skeletons were in Edsel Ford’s closet. After all, if anybody knew the answer to that question, it would be Gregorie. He had worked closely with Edsel for fifteen years, meeting with him practically every day in the design studio.

They were both yachtsmen, loved design, and spoke the same language. Gregorie was one of the few—very few—men at Ford Motor Company that Edsel could confide in. (The other one was Ernest Kanzler, Edsel’s brother-in-law, but had Henry fired him years earlier.) If Edsel would have mentioned any of his foibles to anyone, it would have been Gregorie. Firstly, the two were friends. And secondly, Gregorie would keep his mouth shut.
 

But I was afraid to ask Gregorie what he knew about Edsel’s darkest secrets, because I was concerned that he would be insulted, so I never did. But fortuitously, he brought it up himself!

 
One day, we were reviewing the chapter I had written about Edsel Ford for my book on Edsel and Gregorie liked it very much, but then added: “I wish there was something spicy about Edsel Ford that we could put in this chapter…, you know…, liven it up a bit. But,” he said with a little tone of disappointment, “there isn’t anything. Edsel Ford was a nice man…, a gentleman…, and that’s it.” HD

WHY HAS EDSEL FORD BEEN IGNORED?

 Edsel Ford

Had a lovely chat this afternoon with Edsel Ford author Henry Dominguez. Henry worked in the auto industry here in Michigan and now resides in Utah! We had a great time swapping our favorite Ford Family stories....We could be on the phone for days! But...I think it is a better idea to get Henry to write down some of his favorite topics to share with my readers!

Here's one of author Henry Dominguez's favorite photos of Edsel Ford. It was taken in 1920 in Virginia. He is with Dodge heir, Isabella Dodge. They're young, beautiful, and rich!

Stay tuned, Henry will be contributing some cool stories soon...In the meantime, I thought I'd share 2 of his books that are for sale in my Amazon Store....

To students of business, the word Edsel conjures up only one thing: disaster. It was the name given to an automobile in the late 1950s that failed miserably in the marketplace and lost Ford Motor Company hundreds of millions of dollars. However in all of the books written about the Ford Motor Company and the Ford family, precious little has been written about the man who gave his name to this car.

Edsel Ford was, after all, the son of Henry Ford and, more importantly, the president of the Ford Motor Company for a quarter of a century. Who was this man? What was he like? And why has he been ignored?

'Edsel Ford has been the only president of an automobile company to take such an in-depth interest in design. Although I did the design work - taking pencil in hand and sketching cars - Edsel Ford's innate design ability steered me towards those wonderful old Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln designs. We made a good team.' E.T. Gregorie.

The relationship that developed between Edsel Ford and E.T. 'Bob' Gregorie (Ford Motor Company's first design chief) was unique in automotive history. It was akin to the relationship between a patron and an artist. Gregorie leaned heavily on Edsel for his support and protection, and Edsel depended on Gregorie for his creative abilities.

Automotive historians have listed the 1936 Zephyr, 1938 Zephyr, and 1939 Continental as Gregorie's greatest achievements. Frank Lloyd Wright called the Continental 'the most beautiful car in the world' while the Museum of Modern Art called the '36 Zephyr 'the most successfully streamlined car in America.' 'Edsel Ford and E.T. Gregorie' is the first book to provide in-depth analysis of how the early Fords, Mercurys and Lincolns were designed. Based on first-hand discussions with Gregorie, author Henry Dominguez covers every major design of Gregorie's career.

The book details the how's and why's of every Ford product designed under his tutelage. In addition to conveying Gregorie's design brilliance, the book also provides a revealing account of the personality and abilities of the often-misunderstood Edsel Ford. 'All that I have ever read about Edsel pretty much ignores his contributions,' Gregorie tells Dominguez. 'If it weren't for Edsel Ford, I hate to think what would have happened to the Ford Motor Company.' '

When Edsel Ford made me design chief, he didn't abdicate his interest in design,' Gregorie recalls. 'He merely assumed the added responsibility of design director along with his burdensome responsibility as president.' This book tells the story of the partnership which, in the words of current Ford Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr (Edsel's grandson), 'created some of the most innovative and beautiful designs in automotive history