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by Don Van Polen (Author)
"SEA TO SEA IN A MODEL T" It was a hundred years ago that Henry Ford introduced the first Model T Ford. It was the car that changed America. No other product made in this country would have such a profound effect on the nation's economy as Henry's Old Car Soon, one out of seven workers in America would be in the auto industry and half of all cars on the road would have the name FORD written on them. He would later build the largest factory in the world; the River Rouge Plant outside Detroit. Over 100,000 people would work there in one day. For the next 20 years, Henry Ford would build more than 15 million Model T's. Never were so many cars of one style built than that old car. It was the automobile that put America on wheels. Henry Ford claimed that his Model T would be the last car the country would ever need Join the Van Polens as they travel from the Puget Sound in Washington State to the Eastern most town and lighthouse in America. Along the way they describe the landscapes with delightful interludes of appropriate music as well as the fascinating story of Henry Ford's Old Car. We've had at least two generations of traveling in the fast lanes and freeways and it's time to see the country from the slow lane. Slow roads have a sense of discovery; they tell us about the past and take us to places where real America lives. Driving that old car may not be the fastest way or the shortest; it may not be the easiest, but it certainly is the best way. Henry Ford's old car was meant for those old roads
Author Biography
DON & FRAN VAN POLEN Through the years, as we produced various travel programs. Our audiences are Our audiences are usually folks who don't want a scientific or detailed synopsis of some geographical place; they want a simple, well-researched story that relates to their everyday lives. Just keeping them awake for more than an hour can be a major achievement! A lot of people are like me; after a few minutes of TV, I shut it off and pick up a book. Many of the folks in our audience are elderly with a wealth of experiences that relate to the past. Because it was the 100th anniversary of the Model T Ford, our newspaper had a story of Henry Ford and his Model T. Immediately I thought, what a perfect story for a travel program. As a kid I remember the day Henry Ford was buried. It was a big event. All traffic in the state of Michigan came to a stop for 1 minute in honor of the man who put the country on wheels. I was also impressed by the fact that the Model T was made for 20 years and at the peak of production was coming off the assembly line every ten seconds. Don Van Polen graduated from Calvin College and later attended the University of Arizona taking graduate studies in the field of Criminology and Abnormal Psychology. . After 10 years of teaching, he was smitten with photography as well as travel. Don and Fran Van Polen's journeys have taken them from the steaming jungles of New Guinea, the ancient streets of Jerusalem, the slums of Calcutta to the grandeur of a North American Autumn. A highlight of their career was when one of their photographic productions, "Autumn across America" was selected as the feature program at the World Convention of the Photographic Society of America in Seattle where they received a standing ovation. Their presentations have been shown in some of the largest churches and auditoriums in North America from Edmonton to San Diego; from The Harvard Club in Boston to Seattle Center in Washington State as well as the Rockefeller Center for Performing Arts in New York. Their presentations have been shown at numerous Photographic Conventions along with the Kodak Cavalcade and National Geographic Presentations. DVDs produced by Don and Fran are distributed by FOX RECORDS throughout Europe and the US. Don and Fran live in Mount Vernon, Washington, Their hobbies include beekeeping, a small sawmill where they have built their own 50 ft. covered bridge, a bulldozer and Rosie, a 1926 Model T.
