1954-1963 a modern metropolis: the Greater Detroit Board of Commerce takes its mission across the globe.Long in the making, two important trends with far-reaching implications became increasingly evident during the Detroit Board of Commerce's sixth decade. On the home front, it was becoming ever clearer that "Detroit" was no longer simply a city but rather a complex, modern metropolitan area whose future depended on cooperation and collaboration between the core city and its fast-growing suburbs. On the global front, it was becoming equally clear that "Detroit" was competing in a transformed world marketplace where old borders no longer mattered and only the strong prospered. The Detroit Board of Commerce--which, significantly, became the Greater Detroit Board of Commerce in 1957--was uniquely equipped to meet the challenges of both trends. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Annual International Trade Tours were typical of the aggressive approach the Board took in promoting world trade on behalf of its members. The 1954 tour was one of the biggest, taking 50 members to Europe and the Middle East. By 1960, when 39 Board members blitzed blitzed adj. Slang Drunk or intoxicated. Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. and the Far East, the tours had become models for other chambers of commerce across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to follow. With the formal opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway Noun 1. St. Lawrence Seaway - a seaway involving the Saint Lawrence River and the Great Lakes that was developed jointly by Canada and the United States; oceangoing ships can travel as far west as Lake Superior Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, the Board savored a victory in a campaign that dated back to the 1920s. The waterway waterway, natural or artificial navigable inland body of water, or system of interconnected bodies of water, used for transportation, may include a lake, river, canal, or any combination of these. system linking Great Lake ports with the Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean [Lat.,=of Atlas], second largest ocean (c.31,800,000 sq mi/82,362,000 sq km; c.36,000,000 sq mi/93,240,000 sq km with marginal seas). Physical Geography Extent and Seas was finally a reality, and it was fitting that the Board's cruise that year took members through the new Seaway to Montreal aboard the steamer Tadoussac. On air, water or land, no issue escaped the Board's attention. In 1955, the Board sponsored America's "Town Meeting of the Air" at the Veteran's Memorial Building. The topic was: "What's In Our Peacetime Atomic Future?" Three years later, the Board co-sponsored a "Missile and Space Age Conference" at the Statler-Hilton Hotel. In 1956, just one year after Rosa Parks Noun 1. Rosa Parks - United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national Civil Rights movement (born in 1913) Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala ALA aminolevulinic acid. Ala alanine. ala (a´lah) pl. a´lae [L.] a winglike process. ., bus and launched the modern Civil Rights Movement, the Detroiter magazine published in three installments selected passages from the National Urban League's brochure, "Integration In Your Work Force--Why and How." It was a guide for employers who were implementing Michigan's new Fair Employment Practices Act. With the rapid movement of women into the workplace, the Board was a major supporter of the annual "Salute to Women Who Work Week," sponsored by the Central Business District Association. Joseph L. Hudson Jr., chairman of the 1961 event, noted that women now comprised nearly 30 percent of the total workforce in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. A memorable era in the Board's history ended in 1962 with the retirement of the legendary Harvey Campbell after 40 years as the Board's No. 1 man and untiring spokesman. Known affectionately af·fec·tion·ate adj. 1. Having or showing fond feelings or affection; loving and tender. 2. Obsolete Inclined or disposed. af·fec as "Mr. Detroit," the Board's 59th anniversary cruise was named in his honor. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1963, with the major upheavals of the late '60s yet to come, the Board celebrated its 60th anniversary at the Sheraton-Cadillac Hotel with Ford Motor Co. President Arjay Miller as the featured speaker. The anniversary slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. Slogans vary from the written and the visual to the chanted and the vulgar. was: "60 Years of Service and Leadership." Foster Winter, vice president of The J.L. Hudson Co., chaired the St. Lawrence Seaway Committee of the Detroit Board of Commerce. The Board was a long-time advocate of the waterway system linking Great Lakes Great Lakes, group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, creating a natural border between the United States and Canada and forming the largest body of freshwater in the world, with a combined surface area of c.95,000 sq mi (246,050 sq km). ports with the Atlantic Ocean. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1955, the Board sponsored a "Town Meeting of the Air" examining America's peacetime atomic future. The Board's new logo after the 1957 name change [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Attentive at·ten·tive adj. 1. Giving care or attention; watchful: attentive to detail. 2. Marked by or offering devoted and assiduous attention to the pleasure or comfort of others. in Peru Thirty-nine members of the Detroit Board of Commerce listened intently during an economic briefing in Lima, Peru in 1955. The delegation was also feted at several receptions hosted by the Lima Chamber of Commerce. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Board was a major supporter of the annual "Salute to Women Who Work Week," sponsored by the Central Business District Association. Joseph L. Hudson Jr., chairman of the 1961 event, noted that women comprised nearly 30 percent of the total workforce in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 250 Years of Service Harvey Campbell, executive vice president, congratulates eight Greater Detroit Board of Commerce staff members whose total service added up to more than 250 years. Campbell himself had been with the Board for 36 years when this photo was taken in 1958. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Board presented Harvey Campbell with this oil portrait on the occasion of his retirement after 40 years of service. He also received a Pontiac Bonneville The Pontiac Bonneville was an automobile built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1958 to 2005. Introduced as a limited production performance convertible in the Pontiac Star Chief model range during the 1957 model year, the Bonneville became its own series in 1958. . [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Listen Up! The Board wasn't shy about its positions, as this 1958 letter regarding a highway safety program from Executive Vice President Harvey Campbell to Michigan Gov. G. Mennen Williams Gerhard Mennen Williams, also known as Soapy Williams, (February 23 1911 – February 2 1988), was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. A Democrat, Williams served for twelve years as Governor of Michigan and also served on the Michigan Supreme Court attests. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Golden Spike This article is about railroad construction. For information on "golden spikes" in geology, see Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point. A "golden spike" is the last, ceremonial spike driven specifically to mark the completion of a railroad line. Harvey Campbell presented a golden spike to Frank Betancourt in 1959 for his past service as chairman of the Board's Railroad railroad or railway, form of transportation most commonly consisting of steel rails, called tracks, on which freight cars, passenger cars, and other rolling stock are drawn by one locomotive or more. Committee. Betancourt was a division freight agent Noun 1. freight agent - an employee of a freight carrier who directs the receipt and delivery of goods agent - a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations in Detroit for the Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad (AAR reporting marks WAB) was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. . [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This poem honoring Harvey Campbell, executive vice president of the Greater Detroit Board of Commerce, appeared in the Detroiter in 1962 when he retired after 40 years of service. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mission in Istanbul Behcet Osmanagaoglu (left), president of the Chamber of Commerce of Istanbul, Turkey, received a Certificate of Advisor to the Greater Detroit Board of Commerce on World Trade and Investment during a 1962 Detroit visit. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Detroiter's 60th anniversary cover.
Time Line: 1954-1963
1954: Supreme Court bans school segregation
1955: Montgomery bus boycott
1956: Soviets crush Hungarian revolt
1957: Little Rock school desegregation crisis
1958: First successful U.S. satellite launched
1959: Alaska and Hawaii become 49th, 50th states
1960: Kennedy elected 35th president
1961: Bay of Pigs invasion
1962: Cuban missile crisis
1963: JFK assassinated in Dallas
HARVEY CAMPBELL
A country bumpkin came to town
At least a half a century ago
And combed the hayseed out of his
hair
Then proceeded to run the show.
He spread his humor all about,
A smidgin of brains on the side;
He lined the giants up in a row
And then he took them in his stride.
He helped to mold and shape and
forge,
Design and build this rugged town;
To add his brick to what was right
And what was wrong he tore it
down.
Pushing hard where things bogged
down,
And ever helping with the load;
Molding, coaxing, shaping, forming,
And then smoothing the rocky road.
Like a torch his tongue was ready,
With lively wit to banish gloom;
Probing, warming ever smiling
And bringing laughter to the room.
Harvey Campbell, roguish genius,
And wondrous rascal that you are,
As much a part of our fair city
As the bloomin' motor car.
Joe Clark
RELATED ARTICLE: A 'Must' Read for Members By Louis F. Marr Editor Emeritus e·mer·i·tus adj. Retired but retaining an honorary title corresponding to that held immediately before retirement: a professor emeritus. n. pl. Detroiter magazine "What Goes On Here" was a standing headline for many years on Page 3 of the Detroiter that implied both a question and a statement. It was the brainchild brain·child n. An original idea or plan attributed to a person or group. brainchild Noun Informal an idea or plan produced by creative thought Noun 1. of Harvey Campbell--who was the charismatic leader of the Detroit Board of Commerce for many years. The Detroiter was a weekly at this time, and it was my job as editor to make up Page 3 from a voluminous number of galleys of Mr. Campbell's material. The challenge to me was to select the items which I thought would be of most interest to our members. Mr. Campbell was his own most severe critic. We had our disagreements as to which items should appear on Page 3. He and controversy were not strangers. His observations, insights and opinions made his page a "must" read by members every Monday morning. The economic welfare of the city of Detroit and the metropolitan area was his principal objective. For his efforts he came to be regarded by many as "Mr. Detroit." One of his pet projects was the "Detroit Plan"--a plan that blossomed into the United Way, which was ultimately adopted by many communities nationwide. I had the privilege of spending 29 years of the Chamber's 100 years as a member of its staff. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Louis F. Marr lives in Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, city (1990 pop. 109,592), seat of Washtenaw co., S Mich., on the Huron River; inc. 1851. It is a research and educational center, with a large number of government and industrial research and development firms, many in high-technology fields such as . |
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