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Automotive Hall Will Honor Five Newest Members
 
The Automotive Hall of Fame is announcing the induction of five people distinguished in the areas of motorsports, design, engineering and product planning.
 
They will be honored next month at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center as part of the 2009 Automotive Hall of Fame Induction and Award Night.
 
"The individual has to be nominated, sometimes it comes from family members, various descendants of the person, companies and PR firms," said Jeff Leetsma, director of the Automotive Hall of Fame.
 
Inductees are chosen though a scrupulous selection process. They are initially reviewed by the Hall of Fame's Advisory Panel, made up of historians, journalists and other who have a good handle on the automotive industry. The advisory board narrows the selection of candidates from a pool of 50 to 15, whose names are then sent to the awards committee, which selects five finalists from the list of 15.
 
This year's inductees are high-speed record holder Craig Breedlove, Ford's head advanced stylist Richard Caleal, German aerodynamicist Wunibald I.E. Kamm, former Chrysler president Hal Sperlich and racer Mickey Thompson.
 
In addition to the inductees, four people will receive the Young Leader and Excellence Award, which is meant to identify future leaders in the industry among those 40 years of age and younger. These include Eastern Michigan Kenworth President Jesse Berger, Ford Manufacturing Engineer Supervisor Gregory S. Christensen, Netlink CEO Dilip Dubey and Ford Technical Leader Christine K. Lambert.
 
Tickets for the Inductees and Awards Night, which can be purchased by contacting the Automotive Hall of Fame at (313) 240-4000, are $125.
 
The 2009 Automotive Hall of Fame Induction and Award Night starts at 6p.m. on Oct.6. The Ford Community and Performing Arts Center is located at 15801 Michigan Ave., east of the Henry Ford Centennial Library.
 
The Automotive Hall of Fame is located at 21400 Oakwood Blvd. in Dearborn. It is dedicated to preserving the history of mobility by celebrating the creativity, toil and genius of the individual. The Automotive Hall of Fame is both a visitor attraction and an educational resource meant to inspire the public to higher levels of achievement in their work and lives.