The League of Retired Automotive Designers is an informal group of mostly retired automobile designers whose ability has been honed by years of experience and who still have the creativity, passion, enthusiasm, energy, and ambition to design cars and trucks for the fun of it.

The League created a Vision for Future Ferraris, and displayed their work at the San Diego Automotive Museum. The artwork display coincided with a spectacular display of rare Ferraris that opened on October 11, 2008, and ran for three months.

The League is currently exhibiting at the Skillman Annex Branch of the Detroit Library:

Recapturing the Magic—Visions of the Future American Automotive Design
November 14, 2009 through April 15, 2010
Skillman Annex Branch of the Detroit Public Library, 121 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48226

For more information about the League of Retired Automotive Designers, contact Ron VanGelderen.

The League of Retired Automotive Designers came about following the 2004 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild ‘REUNION,’ for which automotive afficionado/enthusiast, Ron Van Gelderen had visited and photographed the Guild’s exhibit of Model Cars at the Eyes On Design Concours. These two events having been coincident with each other. Following this, Ron Van G. contacted Chuck Jordan and this writer, our having been the co-organizers of the FBCGuild Reunion, to inquire as to what was next after gathering all these Guildsman/Designers together after so many years of being scattered In various corners of the auto industry, some of us at GM, others at Ford, Chrysler and the other automotive companys too?

We decided to keep those of us who had become automotive designers together and we would do what we all loved, design cars, only, now that most of us were retired, we all could participate, in selected venues, together (not being competitors anymore), and do this for the fun of it. The initial League Group included Virgil Exner, Chuck Jordan, Wayne Kady, John Mellberg, Elia Russinoff and Ron VanGelderen (who was to become our Administrator). We all spread the word about the League’s informal charter, and 5+ years later, we now have approximately 60 members.

Our first show was an exhibit sponsored by the Cadillac La Salle (Owner’s) Club, called ‘Images of Cadillac in 2006, and in 2008 we participated in an exhibit at the SanDiego, CA., Automotive Museum, called Cavalino Rampante, Celebrating Italy’s Prancing Horse, sponsored by the Ferrari Club of America.

Our most recent exhibition called, Recapturing the Magic!, Visions of Future American Automotive Design, is currently displayed at The Skillman Annex of the Detroit Public Library. The exhibition is ‘free,’ and all are invited to attend during normal library hours.

Next on our plate Is an exhibition at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana, opening this November. The theme of the exhibition will be ‘Designing a new Studebaker.

Retired Automotive Designers interested in learning more about joining the League, should contact:

Ron VanGelderen, Administrator
The League of Retired Automotive Designers

Robert (Bob) Ackerman
1969-1996 Design manager, Chrysler Corporation
1960-1969 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Art Center Graduate
1969-1996 Design manager, Chrysler Corporation
1960-1969 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Art Center Graduate

Robert Barnes
1968-2005 Design Manager, Ford Motor Company
1968 Cleveland Art Institute 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

Graham Bell
1974-1998 Chief Designer, Ford Motor Company
1960-1974 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1955-1960 Designer with British Airways
Wayne State University, Art Center, Harrow Art/Tech College, United Kingdom

R. Preston (Press) Bruning
1963-2000 GM Design
1980-1990 Automotive Design Instructor, CCS, Detroit
1961 Pratt Institute Graduate

George Camp
1963-2001 Senior Designer, GM Design
1963 Art Center Graduate

Joan K. Creamer
1965-1966 GM Design Staff
General Electric Corp.
Textron Staff Designer
1987 Joan Creamer Design
1966 Cleveland Institute Graduate

Paul Deesen
1954-1996 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1954 Pratt Institute Graduate

Virgil M. Exner, Jr.
1967-1988 Design Executive, Ford Motor Company
1957-1967 International Design Consultant
1958-1961 U.S. Air Force Officer
1957 University of Notre Dame Graduate
1947 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Jr. Award

Allan Flowers
1980-2006 Chief Designer, Nissan Design America
1964-1980 Assistant Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate

Anthony Frassetto
1972-2002 Design Specialist, Ford Motor Company
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

Bob Hubbach
1962-1967 GM Design
1967-2001 Design Manager, Chrysler Design Center

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

Ray Isip
Ford and Chrysler Designer
Pratt Institute and Art Center Graduate

Charles M. (Chuck) Jordan
1949-1992 Vice President, GM Design
1949 M.I.T. Graduate
1947 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

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

John Mellberg
Creative Design Specialist, Thomas Bus (Daimler Trucks, N.A.)
1968-1972 GM Design
1968 Art Institute of Chicago and University of Chicago Graduate
1966  Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 2nd, Nat’l Sr. Award

David S. McIntosh
1964-2003 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design
1964 Art Center Graduate

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

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

Richard (Dick) Nesbitt
Creative Design Consultant, Author
Designer with Ford Motor Company
1970 Art Center Graduate

Steve Pasteiner
1966-1989 Asst. Chief Designer, GM Design

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

David (Dave) Royer
1965-1996 Design Manager, Ford Motor Company
1965 Carnegie Tech Graduate

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

John Samson

Richard Wells
1978-2007 Chief Designer, Ford Motor Company
1975-1978 Sr. Designer for Massy Ferguson
1973 Center for Creative Studies Graduate

Ron Will
1981-2006 Product Planning and Design Manager. Subaru of America
1976-1981 Independent Designer; created Turbo Phantom
1966-1976 Senior Designer, GM Design
1966 Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate
1961 Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild 1st, Nat’l Sr. Award

Don Wood
1959-1997 Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

Dennis Wright
1959-1996 Assistant Chief Designer, GM Design
1959 Art Center Graduate

Chalk and marker rendering by Tom Semple

The day Tom Semple and I nearly did each other in.

I became interested in motocross motorcycles in the ’70s, and rode in the woods with several GM designers and sculptors including Larry Brinker and Bernie Smith. One Saturday several of us met up around Mt. Grampian ski area in Oxford, Michigan. There was a challenging, single-track loop about a half mile long that had hills, banked berms, and woods. Because it made a big loop, you could get to know the course, and each lap became faster than the last one. There were a couple of spots where you could get launched pretty good and get some air. And there were many blind turns. So for safety reasons, it was strictly one way. Tom Semple showed up with his Bultaco. I don’t remember who was going the wrong way, but Tom and I met in mid air, missing each other by inches. That was the day Tom and I nearly killed each other.

Pontiac proposal by Roger Hughet.

Dodge Chargers by Bob Hubbach.


GTO Judge proposal by George Camp.

Chevelle back proposal end by Don Wood.

Futuristic Buick concept by Bill Porter.

John Perkins’ Chevrolet proposal.

This looks like a shot from a first floor GM Design Staff studio.

A shot from a platform studio where the cars were being engineered after styling release.