HFHA Board Members

Joe Adams - President

A native of St. Louis Missouri, Joe Adams has always been an avid fan of automobiles, and at age 3 was able to identify the make and model of any car that passed by. Joe’s interest in Ford Mtor Company, and in particular of Henry Ford, was spurred by his Grandfathers. One would drive only a Ford, the other
woked for Ford in the 30’s. A history buff, Joe hopes to share the importance of Henry Ford in American culture and help preserve the Ford legacy!

Joe is an active member of the Detroit Handbell Ensemble and a member at First United Methodist Dearborn. Joe resides in Dearborn with his wife, three children and their Golden Retriever, Harry!

Harriet Cole - Vice President

Harriet has been a resident of Allen Park all of her life. She is wife to Tom and mother to Karen, Kevin and Keith and grandmother to 5 grandchildren. Harriet has volunteered as a Girl Scout Leader, PTA Board member and as Membership Director for her local pool/tennis club. Harriet is the Owner of Healthy Habits a Shaklee business that looks for customers who want health and wealth.

Mark Campbell - treasurer

Mark Campbell enjoys more than just a passing interest in Ford history. He has a direct family connection, being the great, great nephew of Clara Bryant Ford. Mark was born in Dearborn and graduated from Dearborn High School in 1985. He graduated from Ferris State University in 1990 and married Anne Clabuesch Baldwin in 1993 (Anne is also a Dearborn High School graduate). Mark has two-step sons, Kyle and Sean. The Campbells currently live in Commerce Twp. Michigan.

Mr. Campbell sits on the Lakeshore Condominium Assoc. Board, the Dearborn Cable Fund Board, is a member of Multi Lakes Conservation Assoc, and is Co-Chair Stewardship Team at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Cambridge Junction. Mark is an avid amateur radio operator and a appreciated volunteer at the Henry Ford Estate "Fair Lane".

Ruth Gatza - Director

Ruth was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan and moved to Detroit at the age of 18. After attending the Detroit Business Institute she word at J.L. Hudson’s and in 1972 married and had 2 sons Mark and Kevin.

Ruth was an instructor for the Detroit Business Institute and then worked for National Teck Team, teaching computers to Ford employees then working at the Ford Design Center. While working she joined the Thunderbird Ski Club serving as Membership Co-Chairman and now as Golf Co-Chairman. In 1992 she had an accident and was unable to return to work.

She then began a life of volunteering giving time to The Henry Ford (3500 hours), the Henry Ford Estate (tour guide for 12 years), 14 years with the Senior Players Championship, Divorce Recovery workshop leader, Secretary of the Dearborn Lions Club and currently Secretary of the Detroit Historical Memorial Society.

She is now married to Richard and now lives in Dearborn.

Carrie Adams – Membership Secretary
                      – Editor, The Ford Legend

Carrie Adams grew up in the Dearborn area, and shares her interest in the Henry Ford Heritage Association with her husband, Joe. Carrie grew up with an appreciation for Henry Ford and his impact on her family’s lives . Her Grandfather and Mother both worked for Ford Motor Company. On top of that, both her ParentsFran and Leonard Nagi are docents at Fair Lane.

Carrie is currently a paralegal for a law firm in Detroit. In her spare time manages to raise three children, their Golden Retriever and her husband, Joe. Carrie is thrilled to a part of the Heritage Association, and looks forward to working on the Legend as well as serving as Membership Secretary.

Richard Gatza - Director

Richard has lived in the greater Detroit area most of his life. He remembers crossing west past Woodward Ave. at the end of my senior year in high school. He had his prom at a place called Lovett Hall. Sure he knew of Henry Ford, after all, his dad drove a Ford.

In the summer of 1962, his next door neighbor introduced Richard to the joys of factory work, working the assembly line (tractors) at Ford’s Highland Park Plant. He then heard of the apprenticeship program at The Rouge Plant where he worked for 3 ½ years and became a journeyman millwright.

At the Rouge Richard worked both as an hourly worker and a supervisor. During his 40 years at Ford, he took advantage of the tuition programs and eventually obtained a masters degree from Central Michigan University. He married and had two daughters (they have made him a proud grandfather six times) and inn 1991 he married again to Ruth.

Along life’s journey, some of the organizations that Richard has been involved with or held office in have been, Viet Nam Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Toastmasters, Divorce Recovery Workshop Leader, Ford Senior Players Golf Tournaments, Church Lay Minister, and Thunderbird Ski Club.

Richard’s Ford involvements include tour guide Henry Ford Estate (10+years), Rouge Factory tour guide (since they opened), volunteer The Henry Ford (after retirement) and member of Henry Ford Heritage Association.

Five of the last seven books he has read were about Henry Ford, his family or The Rouge. Currently he is reading “Clara” to be followed by “The Model T” and “Uncle Henry’s Ford Rouge”

One question I ask , “Am I turning into a Fordophile ????????

Frank Gasiorek - Historian

Frank Gasiorek was a past member of the HFHA as program chair.  In addition Frank was president of the Dearborn Historical Society.  Recently Frank has been involved as a trainer of new docents at Henry Ford Estate - Fair Lane.                    

Tom Cole - Director

Resident of Allen Park, married to Harriet with 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Has been a Certified Public Accountant for several years and has a practice in Taylor, MI. He is a member of the MICPA organization and the Southern Wayne County Chamber of Commerce where Tom serves on the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee. Tom is also a member of the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce.                 

Jeff Gebauer - Director

Jeff was born in Pontiac and raised in Waterford where he lives today. He attended Oakland University in Rochester where he received a degree in History. Jeff’s interest in the Ford family began to grow as a result of a college paper on the city of Dearborn that included research about its hometown hero. Following graduation, his interest in the life of Henry Ford, the man, as well as his significant contributions to American society continued. Genealogical research has been an avid hobby of Jeff and, as a result, he produced an extensive compilation of the Ford family history. For the last few years, he volunteered at The Henry Ford Estate Fair Lane as a docent contributing well over two thousand hours. Jeff presently is involved as a presenter at the Henry Ford with the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. He looks forward to keeping the mission of the HFHA alive through his involvement on the board promoting an appreciation of Henry Ford’s life and accomplishments.          

Doug Brim - Director

Doug began working at Ford Motor Company in 1961. He relocated from Buffalo, New York with his wife Phyllis and their four children to Dearborn in 1969. At that time, he joined the Ford Marketing Institute which was located in Fair Lane.

Doug was an instructor for the Marketing Institute and trained dealers on how to sell cars. He often traveled to dealerships around country and later wrote the Institute’s training classes. It was during these years that Doug developed a fondness for the Estate. In fact, Doug began giving tours to Ford dealers and others while his office was located in the building! After working for three years Doug was transferred to the Ford World Headquarters building.

Although he retired from Ford in 1995, automobiles, the Blue Oval, and Fair Lane would continue to be significant parts of his life. Doug has given generously of his time and talents to Fair Lane since becoming a volunteer in 1987. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, he served as a trainer for the tour department.

Today, he is a docent at Fair Lane and volunteers as a special guide during Ford new dealer programs. He conducts VIP tours and answers countless questions. Doug is one of Fair Lane’s truly long-term volunteers; he is always willing to give of his time to special events and programs. This year alone, he has given nearly 100 service hours to the Estate and this past December Doug was given the Special Friend of Fair Lane Award. Doug has been a member of the Henry Ford Heritage Assn since 1997.

Mike Skinner - Past president
                     - T-Plex Representative

Edsel Ford II has said of Mike Skinner, "He knows every tree that my great grandfather ever planted." Mike is the ultimate "Fordophile" He is past President of the Dearborn Historical Society and the Grosse Pointe Historical Society and a founding member of the Henry Ford Heritage Association.

Since 1978 Mike has been a Volunteer tour guide at Henry Ford's - Fair Lane Estate. Mike is Human Resources Director for Production Tool Supply Co. of Warren Michigan.

Anna Kopcha - Past president
                     

Anna has been a Docent at Henry Ford Estate for over 8 years, a representative for Aflac (she works for the Duck). And she is a presenter at The Henry Ford.
She was born and raised in Detroit

Dick Folsom - Past president

Richard (Dick) Folsom was raised in Livonia, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Eastern Michigan University in 1978. While in college he worked at the Edison Institute as a Greenfield Village guide. There he met fellow guide, John Berger. This meeting and their interest in Henry Ford led both to become guides at the Henry Ford Estate.

In addition to giving tours, Dick conducted interviews with over a dozen relatives and acquaintances of Henry and Clara Ford for the Estate. These conversations, which were audio and videotaped and transcribed for inclusion in the Edison Institute Archives, have added significant details to our knowledge of the life of Mr. and Mrs. Ford.

Additionally, Dick has been friends with many more people who knew Henry Ford. He was President of the Henry Ford Heritage Association for eight years, leading the association from a small group with less than 100 members, mainly in the Detroit area, to a worldwide organization with over 1100 members. He owns a extensive collection of Ford memorabilia and books. This collection contains many one of a kind items.

Dick and his wife, Sheila, have two children, Rebecca and Patrick. Dick is an HFHA Director. Note: On December 31 , 1999, Dick took the children to visit Mr. Ford's grave "so that they would be the last people to visit Mr. Ford in the 20th century." What a Fordophile!