Edsel was the name for the Ford motor company dream car of the late '50's, so named for the beleaguered son of Henry Ford. I was a student at the new Geroge Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Everything was new --the buildings, the intercom to classrooms. Even the curriculum was new as post-Sputnik science and foreign languages became required classes for this college prep school. Almost instantly when the Russians had beat us to outerspace, the educational system changed under President Eisenhower. A feat that could not be amtched in 2016 with the dysfunctional Congress and government we have now.
Just as poor Edsel Ford had come to a sad ending of this life, the Edsel car had a dismal short-lifetime. It was not acepted by the American public and the model was idscontinued. After Richard Nixon lost the Election of 1960 a popular joke was: He is such a loser, he drives an Edsel with a Nixon bumper sticker.
Back to 1958 at WHS where the Driver's Education Program provided us learners with sparkling new Edsel cars loaded with all the features such as push-button gear selections, power-seats and -windows.Before we could get behind the wheel of one of these wide-bodied creatures we had classroom experiences where we sat in mock-up stations with a steering wheel, gearshift, and pedals.
As we sat in these we viewed a screen showing our "vehicle" in traffic. For example, view a stop sign = push the brakes. What was so exotic to this young Iowan was that all the filming had been done in California. Unlike Iowa's roadways with very narrow lanes and shoulders on which vehicles customarily ricochetted from side-to-side, the California highways were beautiful , wide and had beautiful foliage and flowers. All of this was in black and white,of course, but it was so easy to fill in the colors.
I have resided in California now for 38 years and often picture those scenes as I drive.Now it's for real and once in awhile I see and Edsel. A bonus living in the foothills is to view the mountains and snowcaps-- pictures of which I used to see on orange crate lables.
Just as poor Edsel Ford had come to a sad ending of this life, the Edsel car had a dismal short-lifetime. It was not acepted by the American public and the model was idscontinued. After Richard Nixon lost the Election of 1960 a popular joke was: He is such a loser, he drives an Edsel with a Nixon bumper sticker.
Back to 1958 at WHS where the Driver's Education Program provided us learners with sparkling new Edsel cars loaded with all the features such as push-button gear selections, power-seats and -windows.Before we could get behind the wheel of one of these wide-bodied creatures we had classroom experiences where we sat in mock-up stations with a steering wheel, gearshift, and pedals.
As we sat in these we viewed a screen showing our "vehicle" in traffic. For example, view a stop sign = push the brakes. What was so exotic to this young Iowan was that all the filming had been done in California. Unlike Iowa's roadways with very narrow lanes and shoulders on which vehicles customarily ricochetted from side-to-side, the California highways were beautiful , wide and had beautiful foliage and flowers. All of this was in black and white,of course, but it was so easy to fill in the colors.
I have resided in California now for 38 years and often picture those scenes as I drive.Now it's for real and once in awhile I see and Edsel. A bonus living in the foothills is to view the mountains and snowcaps-- pictures of which I used to see on orange crate lables.
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