Henry Ford Museum Dedicates Museum Promenade in Memory of Heinz C. Prechter

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 6 -- Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, in Dearborn, dedicated its newly restored front promenade in memory of Heinz C. Prechter, area entrepreneur and long-time museum board member on Friday, September 6, 2002.

"Heinz was such a strong supporter of this institution, as well as the Henry Ford Academy, that we felt it was a natural fit to remember him with the dedication of our promenade," said Steve Hamp, president, Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. "His impact on this institution will be recognized as the more than 1.5 million people walk the new 'Prechter Promenade' each year," he continued.

The front promenade runs the entire length of Henry Ford Museum and operates as a free walkway for visitors to the museum or Greenfield Village. Recent efforts restored the promenade to its original 1929 opening grandeur. In-laid wall cases feature new mini-exhibits of artifacts and programming at the museum and the village. Plaques describing Prechter's accomplishments will be located in three areas of the promenade.

"Heinz Prechter brought excitement, fun and a commitment to excellence to the automotive industry," said Bill Ford, Chairman and CEO, Ford Motor Company. "It is a fitting tribute that he will be remembered in a place whose purpose is to inspire people to learn from our traditions of ingenuity and innovation."

Heinz Prechter's wife, Waltraud "Wally" Prechter, recently donated a 1968 Mercury Cougar to the museum's auto collection. It is one of five hundred 1968 Cougars equipped with a power sunroof. It marked the first time a power sunroof was available as original equipment on an American car. Prechter's company, ASC Incorporated, supplied those sunroofs. From that small beginning, he built ASC into one of the auto industry's major suppliers.

"The friendship between the Ford and Prechter families has spanned over thirty years," said Wally Prechter. "Ford Motor Company invited Heinz to Detroit to work on the 1968 Cougar -- the first major program in this young entrepreneur's career. Thanks to Ford, Heinz wrote automotive history. Our family is honored and pleased that Heinz found a home at America's premier museum dedicated to the automotive industry."

Prechter passed away on July 6, 2001. He was widely recognized for his entrepreneurial accomplishments, broad community involvement and political achievements. The business leader sat on dozens of community and corporate boards.

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, located in Dearborn, Michigan, is the largest indoor/outdoor history museum in the United States. It welcomes more than 1.5 million people annually.

Wally Prechter established the Heinz C. Prechter Fund for Manic Depression shortly after her late husband fell victim to bipolar disorder on July 6, 2001. The foundation is based in Southgate, Michigan, and provides funding to advance breakthrough medical research to develop cures for manic depression.