2015 League of Retired Designers Project

The 2015 project by the League of Retired Automotive Designers was to create new Cord, Dusenberg, and Auburn designs.

Several designers have featured artwork posts on Dean’s Garage.

Thanks to David McIntosh.

Designers that participated in the project:

Robert L. Barnes
1968–2005 Design Manager, Ford Motor Company
1965–1967 NASA Development Project
1968 Clevenland Institute of Art Graduate

Richard Lee Beck
1968-2007 Designer, Ford Motor Company
1968 Art Center Graduate
1964 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 3rd, Nat’l Sr. Award

George Camp
1963–2001 Senior Creative Designer, GM Design
1963 Art Center College of Design Graduate

Joan Klatil Creamer
Creamer Design
1966 Cleveland Institute of art, Industrial Design major
1965 GM Design summer Intern
1966 GM Design Staff—First woman exterior designer at GM, working in Cadillac, Oldsmobile, and Advanced Buick studios
General Electric Corp—providing design guidance for consumer electronics / major appliance development
Gorham Division Textron—Staff designer Product Manager; Gift / Collectible Division
1987 Joan Creamer Design Office—Providing I.D. consultation

Paul A. Down, FIDSA
Professor of Industrial Design, University of Notre Dame

Virgil Exner, Jr.
International Designer of Automobiles and Power Boats
Retired 1988 as Ford Design Executive
1958–1961 U.S. Air Force Officer
1956 AB, 1957 MA University of Norte Dame

Anthony Frassetto
1972-2002 Design Specialist, Ford Motor Company
1979–1981 Ford of England
1970 Art Center Graduate

Darwin Hawthorne
1964-2002 Auto Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1964 Art Center Graduate
1960 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Award

John Houlihan
2007–present; VP of Design, BullToro Watch Co., LLC
2005–2006 Adjunct Professor at University of Bridgeport
2001–2007 Consultant Designer
1979–2001 Timex Corporation, Director of Design
1978–1979 Milton Bradley Corporation, Manager of Toy Development
1971–1978 General Electric Corporation, Senior Product Designer
1970–1971 GM Design Staff, Exterior Designer
1966 University of Notre Dame, ID Major

Roger E. Hughet
1959-2001 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

Wayne A. Kady
1961-1999 Chief Designer, GM Design
1961 Art Center Graduate

Rolph Kneefel
1969–2008 Ford Motor Company, Design
1975 Wayne State Graduate Assistant
1960 Art Center Graduate

Donald A. Johnson
1969 Center for Creative Studies Graduate
1968-1984 General Motors Design Staff- Senior designer
Zimmer Corp. Director of Design.Notable design: Zimmer “Quicksilver”
Toyota Distributers—Director of Product Design
D.A. Johnson Design
Avelate Corvette, Avelate “Fifty-Three” Corvette, Ford racing Technologies—FR 500, Mustang FR 200 Focus, Knudsen Automotive- “Rage” Mustang, Thunderbird “Thunderflite” 1961, “Merc-in-time” 1950 Mercury

F. J. (Bud) Magaldi
1966-1999 Auto Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1966 Art Center Graduate
1965 Styling Award, Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild

David S. McIntosh
1964 Art Center Graduate, BPA, Transportation Design
1964-2003 Asst. Chief Designer (1980), GM Design
Advanced Design Studios (1988–91 Buick Reatta concept and production design; 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix Concept; 1970 Corvair Facelift Proposal; 1990 Saturn Coupe Preliminary Concept)
1991 Monte Carlo Show Car; 1995 Monte Carlo and Lumina
2000 Cadillac Catera (Opel, Germany)
Speed Vision Corporate Strategy and Cadillac 15-Year Vision; Cadillac Cross-Over Concept

John M. Melberg
1997–present Creative Automotive Design Specialist, Daimier Trucks, N.A,
1993–1997 Manager of Design, Emergency One, Inc.
1970s–1990s Airships International
1990–1992 Managing  Designer, Case Corp.
1972–1983 AG Styling Supervisor, J.I. Chase Co.
1968–1972 Designer, GM Design
1968 Art Institute of Chicago and University of Chicago Graduate
1966 2nd National Sr. Award, Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild

William (Bill) Michalak
1966–2001 Senior Creative Designer, GM Design
1966 Pratt Institute Graduate

Howard D. (Buck) Mook
1967-1997 Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1967 Art Center Graduate

William (Bill) Moraniec
1964–2001 Ford Motor Company Design Manager
1963 Center of Creative Studies Graduate

John Perkins
1962-1999 Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 GM Institute Graduate
1955 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Honorable Mention

Elia (Russ) Russinoff
1955-1995 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1954 Pratt Institute Graduate
1949 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

Gary D. Smith
1988–present Self-employed freelance designer
1973–1988 Sr. Creative Designer, GM Design
1973 Art Center College of Design Graduate
1964, 1966 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild Honorable Mentions

Ron Van Geldern
Ron is a world class executive who, though not a retired automobile designer, has a passion for cars,especially for automobile design. Ron was the creator and the ‘fire’ behind the League of Retired Automobile Designers. His dedication, enthusiasm, and organizational ability is largely responsible for bringing this group together in 2006.