On this day in 1908, William Durant created General Motors in New Jersey. Durant, a high school dropout, made his fortune building horse-drawn carriages and hated the noisy, smelly and dangerous automobile. Despite this lack of passion, his company dominated the American auto industry for decades. Durant went bankrupt during the Great Depression and spent his final years managing a bowling alley in Flint, Michigan.
Hungarian immigrant and award-winning quilter Mary Gasperik made this original quilt, “Road to Recovery,” for a contest commemorating the 1939 New York World’s Fair, titled “Better Living in the World of Tomorrow.” The theme of the fair was transportation, perhaps explaining Gasperik’s decision to depict a road with a traveling car. Gasperik’s quilts were dispersed among her descendants, and grand-daughter Susan Salser spearheaded the work of documenting and sharing the Gasperik Collection on The Quilt Index.
View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about its history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.
Source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/william-durant-creates-general-motors
Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org