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SEP 17, 2020 | By John M. Clor

Halderman Museum Reopens, Host Small Groups of T-Birds, Mustangs

Two Ford Thunderbirds in red and black

TIPP CITY, Ohio – Club members young and old will tell you that the best way to enjoy their collectible Ford is to get together for a drive to an interesting destination. While the big shows and mega car collections get the most headlines, sometimes it’s those little, off-the-beaten-path places that bring the most joy for active Ford day cruisers. One such recently uncovered place that has earned a special spot in the hearts of Ford clubs is the Gale Halderman Museum barn just outside of Dayton, Ohio.Red and Black ford Thunderbirds

Any Mustanger should know that Gale Halderman was the man behind the original sketch that made the world fall in love with Ford’s famed Pony Car. Halderman worked with Joe Oros, who led the team tasked with designing an all-new car under the leadership of Lee Iacocca, Hal Sperlich and Donald Frey that would eventually become the Ford Mustang. Gale is not only credited with penning the car’s iconic shape, but also in contributing to the final clay model and the first prototype.thunderbird club presentation inside halderman barn

After a storied, 40-year career at Ford which included work on other Mustangs and Fords, as well as pickups, Mercurys and Lincolns, Halderman retired to his family’s homestead in Tipp City, Ohio. With the help of his daughter, Karen (Halderman) Koenig and her own daughter Lauren, Gale decided to turn the family’s barn into his own Mustang “museum” man cave, this after becoming increasingly involved in the Mustang enthusiast community. The modest and tidy eight-car Museum barn is filled with hundreds of items covering Gale’s remarkable life at Ford and all sorts of Mustang memorabilia, enhanced by a few first-gen Mustangs in the Halderman family’s show fleet, which (naturally) includes a hardtop, a convertible and a fastback. There’s also a Ford Model T, a Model A and a “retro-Bird” Ford Thunderbird, as well as Karen’s own S550 Mustang GT and a visiting second-gen Mustang II Cobra II.John Clor presenting to Thunderbird club at halderman barn

For the past seven years, people from all over the world and clubs from across the country (even those who follow Brand X and some motorcycle groups) have discovered and visited this little gem of a place tucked in the middle-Ohio countryside. Except it all came to a crashing halt after the sudden passing of the legendary Ford stylist, and the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Halderman died on April 29, after a brief bout with liver cancer, just 45 days from what would have been his 88th birthday. With the Halderman family’s official memorial service delayed indefinitely due to the Coronavirus, neighbors and close friends staged a 200-car Gale Halderman Memorial Cruise past the shuttered museum on his June 14th birthdate, and hoped to hear word that museum would someday reopen.Mustangs on the road cruising to halderman barn

It turns out that Gale’s daughter Karen had promised her father that she would keep the museum going as long as she could, and when some of Ohio’s governmental restrictions on travel and public gatherings due to the pandemic were eased, the museum quietly reopened to small groups (50 or less) after the Fourth of July holiday. With social distancing guidelines in place, clubs and small groups began to reach out to book a visit to the museum, and pay homage to Halderman’s lasting contribution to Ford’s product legacy. Karen had invited Ford Performance to stop in during a museum visit by the Ohio Valley Early Birds (OVEB) club, and we decided to welcome them by offering a Ford Thunderbird history overview as part of our Ford Performance Club Connect presentation. After some handouts, a few door prizes and a spirited discussion about any possible future for the Thunderbird brand, we walked the museum with the members to point out some of the can’t-miss artwork on display there.Black ford thunderbird front end

The stop at the museum was part of a daylong drive by some 20 OVEB members who afterward were heading to a picnic at the home of fellow club members who live about 10 minutes down the road in Vandalia, Ohio. While the 90-degree heat kept most of the members’ classic Birds at home in favor of their modern air-conditioned Fords, a couple of hardy souls wouldn’t let the hot-and-humid July weather keep them out of their classic 1957 Thunderbirds (and we were glad they drove them so that we could snap a few photos). Everyone we talked to was surprised to hear about Gale’s efforts on the T-Bird and said they much-enjoyed touring this special place.Black Ford Thunderbird 3/4 photo

The Ohio Valley Early Birds is a classic Ford Thunderbird Club that is actually Chapter #68 of Classic Thunderbird Club International (CTCI), with members located primarily in the Dayton and Cincinnati metropolitan areas of Ohio. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the 1955, 1956 or 1957 Thunderbird. The club was incorporated in 1976 as the Classic Thunderbird Club of Dayton. In 1996, with the membership expanding into Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the name was changed to Ohio Valley Early Birds (OVEB). Their club functions are usually held once a month on the weekends at various locations around the tri-state area, and include car shows, weekend excursions, tours and driving their cars (weather permitting). For info on the club, visit their website at https://oveb.org/index.htmlWelcome sign for ohio valley thunderbird club

But if talk about Mustang clubs and Thunderbird owners has you thinking that only the baby-boomer crowd would be interested in touring the Halderman Museum barn, you’d be sadly mistaken. There is much interest in the heritage of the Mustang brand among young people who own modern-day rides and modded pony cars and are part of newly-formed groups who prefer driving their cars to just showing them. One such group that recently made a day trip to the museum is known as "Mustang Friends KY-IN,” and was founded by Martin Kinney in December of 2015. In just short of five years since its inception, membership in the group’s Facebook page has grown to 959. And that’s as a “closed” page which has quickly become a family club for Mustang owners and some of their muscle-car friends in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Mustang Friends club outside of halderman barn

We were introduced to Mustang Friends KY-IN and their mid-August tour of the Halderman Museum after Karen had sent us a cool video of the group’s visit that was produced by member Hannah Lawrence. This young lady is fairly new to the group and just started taking videos and pictures for them – which is a good thing, as she’s a budding photographer and has the right skills and the right stuff (even a drone!) to get the group’s activities noticed by other young people whose lives are centered on the web and social media. Check out her photos she gave us to use with this story to see why we think she can be a key member in bringing more young Mustang fans into the group and the hobby itself. young adult peering into red 1965 mustang convertible

“I joined only a couple months ago after saving money to buy my own 2014 Mustang V-6 -- in cash!” Hannah told us. “I love the Mustang and enjoy being in the group. I’m really just taking videos and pictures for fun, and to practice my future career of photography/videography.” Inside of Halderman Barn

It’s easy to tell from Hannah’s photos that Mustang Friends KY-IN had a blast with the drive and visit to the Halderman Museum, and would love to add even more people to their page and to their ranks of over 200 very active members. Kinney told us that Mustang Friends KY-IN is also involved in car shows, cruise-ins, pony-trail group drives, lunches and dinners, parades and other activities. But they’re not disconnected from the traditional Mustang hobby, and Martin was proud to note that the group is also closely involved with MCA chartered clubs in the area. That includes the Derby City Mustang Club in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Queen City Mustangers of Cincinnati, as well as the 11,000-member-strong Red Mustang Registry (RMR – otherwise known as the Red Pony Mustang Registry) – for which Kinney is the Kentucky State Representative Director. Ohio valley Early Birds club with banner outside of barn

Karen tells us there are almost as many groups like “Mustang Friends” now visiting the museum as there are traditional Mustang clubs such as the Mustang Owners Club of Southeastern Michigan (MOCSEM – which just this month has made its seventh annual trip to the barn). In fact, next up for a visit there will be the young pony car fans who are members of the Millennial Mustang Registry (www.millennialmustangregistry.com), headed up by founder Bradley Belchertwo red mustangs inside gale halderman barn

There’s a lesson to be learned here for those who think young people don’t have the interest in cars or an appreciation of Mustang’s brand heritage as much as older people do. What’s overlooked is the huge role that older enthusiasts play in handing down the car culture to the next generation. Which is why clubs and Mustang fans everywhere hope that Karen (Halderman) Koenig and her daughter Lauren can keep the Gale Halderman Museum going for Ford fans and Mustang enthusiasts – both young and old -- to enjoy for years to come. Quite simply, it’s a place you’ll want to add to your bucket list. Those clubs or groups interested in visiting the Gale Halderman Museum will need to book an appointment in advance. More information about scheduling a tour is available on the museum’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Haldermanbarn/Mustang Cobra white with red stripes inside barn

If you get the chance to go, we’d advise taking some photos – or maybe even a video – to remember your time there. After all, great memories with great friends are what Mustang ownership and fellowship is all about.

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTOS / COURTESY THE HALDERMAN MUSEUM & HANNAH LAWRENCE PHOTOGRAPHY