HARVEY FIRESTONE
Mr. Firestone’s pride in his products was inherited by his sons. Many years later, in 1947, I attended the wedding in Akron of Harvey Jr.’s daughter, Martha, to Edsel Ford’s son, William Clay. The groom’s party drove from Detroit in new Lincolns, which were duly parked in the Firestone executive garage. I was standing with Harvey Jr. when the manager of the garage asked if Harvey had noticed that all the Ford party Lincolns were mounted with Goodyear tires. Would Mr. Firestone like to kid Mr. Ford about this? “No?” said Harvey Jr. with a big grin. “Say nothing to Mr. Ford. Just jack up all the Lincolns, take off the Goodyears, and put on ours?”As the manager hurried off to do just that, Harvey Jr. turned to me with a twinkle. “I’m not going to have a daughter of mine married on Goodyear tires?”[Uncommon Friends, page 78]
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan