May 13, 2020
DETROIT – Since we're all still staying at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, MotorCities is presenting a new series of virtual programs featuring members of our Speakers Bureau discussing interesting automotive history topics. Each program is FREE and presented as a live Zoom conference.
The series kicks off this Friday at noon with "Mascots of Motion" with automotive journalist Steve Purdy. His presentation features classic and collector car hood ornaments. The slide show accompanying the talk is a colorful exploration of about 50 of these images, from a Rolls-Royce "Spirit of Ecstasy" to a Stutz "Ra."
Purdy is a Williamston, Michigan-based multimedia automotive journalist. He is a charter member of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, a member of the Society of Automotive Historians and a trustee of the National Automotive History Collection of the Detroit Public Library.
To register for this Friday's event, click https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvd-CvqzIiG9S8lfyg53CBb3svIqyjp-bB.
Next, learn more about "Billy Durant, the Founder of General Motors," with MotorCities board member Russ Dore on Friday, May 22 at noon. Durant was a true entrepreneur. He was not a builder of cars, but rather a builder of companies -- a dreamer who put several automobile companies together into what became the world's largest corporation. Explore the life of this somewhat unknown icon of American industry. Learn about how this high school dropout became worth millions. Dore's presentation covers his successful life before entering the automobile industry, his creation of General Motors, and his exit from the company.
A resident of Northville, Doré is a member of the Henry Ford Heritage Association and the Northville Historical Society. He holds Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees in the social sciences.
To reserve your spot for the Friday, May 22 presentation, click https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqcOyrrjMuGtxwp-vcYwSnI9VQ3a4qEURT.
To get more information about the entire series of "MotorCities At Home" presentations and to register for each Zoom event, click www.motorcities.org/motorcities-at-home-series.