Story submitted by Ron Hoeberling, OMC VP

On April 17, 1964, the Ford Mustang was introduced to the world.  And the longevity of this icon is due to a man named Gale Halderman who grew up on a family farm near Dayton, Ohio.  As a farm boy he spent many years in the fields and learned what hard work was all about.  He also loved to sketch cars and later attended the Dayton Art Institute where he studied design and expanded his talents.  When he graduated in 1954, he was hired by Ford, and his first assignment was the 1957 Fairlane which helped Ford outsell Chevrolet that year.

Lee Iacocca is considered the “father of the Mustang.”  After many months of discussion about an inexpensive, four-seater, sporty car to compete with Corvair, Lee asked all Ford’s design teams to submit their sketches for this car.  After several clay models were built, Gale’s design was selected for production.

During his 40-year career, he designed many luxury cars including the 1961 Continental and Continental Mark IX.  But he is best remembered as the designer of the first Mustang.  You can learn more about Gale Halderman by visiting the Halderman Barn Museum near Dayton, Ohio and by reading Mustang By Design written by Jimmy Dinsmore and James Halderman.

On April 15, 1964, Gail Wise (maiden name Gail Brown) was a 22-year-old third grade schoolteacher who lived in a suburb near Chicago and was ready to buy her first car.  She was driving one of her parents’ convertibles and that’s what she wanted too.  Her father took her to the Ford dealership he bought Ford’s from and there were no convertibles on the showroom floor.  Seeing Gail’s disappointment, the salesman showed her “something in the back” that they weren’t supposed to sell yet.  When she saw the Skylight Blue Mustang, she bought it on the spot and became the first person in the United States to buy a Mustang!  Later she married Tom Wise and raised a family along with the Mustang.  When Tom retired, he restored it to its original condition, and they have since displayed their Mustang at national car events.

I was fortunate enough to meet Gale Halderman at the 40th MCA Anniversary at the Indianapolis Speedway in 2016.  I took his picture and shook his hand after his presentation about his involvement with the Mustang.  Sadly, he passed away in 2020.  Since then, I have met his daughter Karen Koenig who lives on the original family farm property and manages the Halderman Barn Museum.  These are memories that will be with me forever.