Hi
All,
I
got this from Virgil Exner, Jr., about a great event coming up on September 29th.
A new book on Virgil Exner, Sr. is about to be published, and they are having
an event and book signing at Notre Dame. He “would love to get a '37/'38 straight 8 (maroon if possible) Pontiac (father's first
production car design)” for the show. If you know
of anyone who would be able to help out with this request, please let me know!
Virgil
Exner, Jr. is greatly looking forward to meeting many of us at the event.
I’ll keep everyone posted with more details as I receive them.
-Dave
VIRGIL M. EXNER,
JR.
I have confirmed the details with the University of Notre
Dame for a Saturday, Sept. 29 Exner book signing and car show.
Notre Dame Art & Design Department’s Charles
Barber, Chairman, and Design Professor Paul Down have arranged for Virgil Exner
designed milestone cars to be on ‘special display’ in the Stephan
Center, a unique geodetic domed building, used for large dances and other
events with an excellent stage, large trucking and public entrances, and has excellent
paved, as well as, open grass field parking adjacent for the many ‘Ex
fan’ car clubs invited to freely display their cars. This facility was
built in 1956 as the major convocation event site, and I attended my senior
prom there and then. It will easily accommodate up to the ten only cars that I
am arranging to be on special display in two circles in the center of the
building surrounded by roped stanchions and police guards. That leaves space
for free walk around public viewing and their access to the stage that will
include a large display of my father’s design and art work and for the
book signing, after an address by the author and me. Seating will also be
available. Lighting is excellent. Of course, we have built a much larger
convocation facility since. Notre Dame will soon provide great publicity.
Design students are now, not only hard at work for their ‘finals’,
but also creating our posters, flyers, car dash plaques, and a show Web site.
Timing has been set for guarded gated entrance to the paved
parking areas by car club owners with their cars no later than 10 A.M. Free
public admission and parking in many areas of the campus grounds is always
available. The special show cars will have to be in the building the night
before and doors will open at 10 A.M. The building has been reserved from early
Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. The addresses will begin at 11 A.M.
Signing will follow. The show will end by 4 P.M. Light catering is available in
the facility.
The 10 invitees to be part of the Exner cars special
display are:
Joe Bortz, Chicago: The 1954 Dodge
Firearrow, The 1955 Chrysler Falcon, The 1956 Chrysler Dart/Diablo, and the
1966 Exner Duesenberg.
Ele Chesney, Tom’s River, NJ:
Her 1954 Plymouth Belmont.
A 1971 Stutz Blackhawk. (madle.org).
A 1957 Chrysler 300 C.
Through the Studebaker Museum:
a 1947/’48 Studebaker Starlight Coupe.
Gen. William Lyon, California: either the
Mercer Cobra or the Bugatti 101.
I am trying to get a 1937/’38
Pontiac
(father’s first production design).
The Univ. of Notre Dame campus is a completely self
contained entity. It employs over 23,000 for only 10,000 students, including
graduate students, and ranks among the top 15 universities in the country
academically. The campus is one of the most beautiful in the world. Of course,
we play a little football, too. The campus includes the Morris Inn
(a top hotel and restaurant), and Legends among the 5 public restaurants on
campus.
My father attended N. D. in 1926 and ‘27, and became
a member of the Arts and Letter’s Advisory Council. My mother was a
member of ND’s Women’s Advisory Council. I graduated from ND in
1956 having been awarded the Jacques Gold Medal of Fine Art, and, along with my
Design Professor, initiated ND’s first transportation design course, then
took my M.A, in art, in 1957.
The biography on my father is being written by Mr. Peter
Grist, an English automotive enthusiast who has had many articles and a book
published with the cooperation of the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.
Peter’s book, Virgil
Exner Visioneer, is being published by Veloce Publishing in England in conjunction with Motor Books
International in the U.S..
Advanced copies (veloce.co.uk) will be available in mid-August. We have
arranged to present a memorial plaque for Buchanan
High School’s Art Building
with the book signing. Father was raised in nearby Buchanan, MI. Peter and I
have lined up at least 100 collectible automobiles, through several car clubs,
to attend the event. The owners are the many ‘Ex’ fans. Peter will
attend to a Walter P. Chrysler Museum book signing on Sunday, the next day, at Auburn Hills, MI.
National publicity with further details will soon be
released.
Virgil M. Exner, Jr.
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