Mar 24, 2008

Henry Ford Museum Acquires Historic School Bus

Many of you reading this were transported to and from school in a steel-bodied school bus. Now, The Henry Ford (the newfangled name for the Henry Ford museum and auto collection has acquired the very first in the breed of steel-bodied school buses, Blue Bird No. 1.

Albert Luce, Sr., the owner of Ford dealerships in Fort Valley and Perry, Ga., was the innovator responsible for the bus’s robust steel construction. When one of his customers requested a vehicle to transport workers to a cement plant, Luce bought a wood-bodied bus that he sold to his customer, but the wood deteriorated before the customer could finish paying for the vehicle. With a somewhat disgruntled customer on his hands, Luce investigated ways of building a better bus and constructed a body using steel angles and channels, steel sheets, wood and canvas. He then mounted it to a 1927 Ford Model T chassis. This new bus was sold to Frank Slade of Marshallville, Ga., to be used as a school bus, and that is the bus that will be enshrined in Dearborn.

“Blue Bird embodies the ingenuity and resourcefulness of one man,” said Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford. “By taking one innovation, the Model T, and using it as the foundation for his school bus, Mr. Luce changed the paradigm of transportation for school-age children in terms of safety and reliability. Within eight years, all major school bus manufacturers were producing steel-body buses.”

By 1932, the Depression had reduced car sales so seriously that Luce sold his Ford agencies and concentrated full time on manufacturing school buses. He named his new company Blue Bird Body Company. Today, Blue Bird Corporation remains one of the nation’s major school bus manufacturers.

“Donating Blue Bird No. 1 to The Henry Ford at this time is meaningful to me for many reasons,” said Albert L. “Buddy” Luce, Jr., son of Albert Luce, Sr. “Last year was the 80^th anniversary of Blue Bird Body Company (now Blue Bird Corporation) and I feel this is a great way to acknowledge that milestone. In addition, 2008 is the centennial of the Model T Ford. Blue Bird No. 1 will be a valuable addition to the collection of this great institution.”