Foundation for Living

272 Pages·2006·15.18 MB·English

FOUNDATION FOR LIVING
FOUNDATION
FOR LIVING
the of Charles Stewart Mott and Flint
story
Clarence H.
Young
by
& William A.
Quinn
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC.
New York Toronto London
To
Ruth
Mott,
Rowlings
the Flint Board
of Education,
and
The Seven Universities
of
Michigan
Partners in
Progress
Foundation for
Living
1963 McGraw-Hill Book Inc. All Re-
Copyright by Company, Rights
served. Printed in the United States of America. This book or thereof
parts
not be in form without of the
may reproduced any permission publishers,
of Card Number: 63-13153
library Congress Catalog
First Edition 72516
INTRODUCTION
The memorandum I from desk concerned the
picked up my
fact that the 1955 was the one-hundredth
year anniversary
of the of Flint As I of the almost incredible
City thought sweep
of forces modern Flint from the little
shaping river-crossing
settlement of I was somewhat amazed to remember I
1855,
had shared half of Flint's first 100
exactly years.
I first saw Flint on the the
2, 1905,
September year city
celebrated its fiftieth I found this
anniversary golden jubilee.
of the Flint River still with trees
valley heavily grown despite
the rich harvest of which had Flint's
pine brought booming
lumber era. With the end of the had come the vehicle
pine
from which Flint-made road and
carts,
industry wagons, bug-
rolled out to corner of the
Then,
gies every country. haltingly,
after the turn of the automobile
century, manufacturing began.
I held the memorandum of Flint's hundredth in
year my
to visualize the factors so to
hand,
trying working mightily
the
shape city.
There are no outside windows in office in the Mott
my
Foundation in downtown but I could lean back
Flint,
Building
in close and as if the stone
chair, see,
my my eyes, through
the tremendous industrial establishments that mark the
walls,
of the from the center of the Flint is
points compass city.
bounded on the north Buick and on the west
Ternstedt,
by by
on the south Fisher and on the east the
Chevrolet,
by Body, by
AC Division of General Motors There
Sparkplug Corporation.
are other of but those are the
industries, course,
greatest,
some
70,000
employing people.
Not the wildest in 1905 could have conceived
imagination
of such the
gigantic enterprises except, perhaps, imagination
of the man who had invited me to William
Flint,
Crapo
in so much that has to Flint
Durant,
key figure happened
The of Durant led me to the factor of all
greatest
thought
in the of Flint Someone once said that the of
history
destiny
mankind is the shadow of men. In the
great history
lengthened
of this has been demonstrated with
Flint,
particular
concept
force. It has been out before that Flint, once the
pine
pointed
was had no natural of raw materials, trans-
advantages
gone,
or to markets. There was no reason
why
portation, proximity
Flint should have become different from other small towns in the
Middle West for the of the who settled
except quality people
and those who followed.
here,
There were the men of Flint in 1905,
casting
giants among
their shadows across the river and over the future
quiet valley
as well. The Flint we know is a testimonial to the
today living
stature of those men to their their their abil-
vision,
courage,
their hard and their faith in the boundless accom-
work,
ity,
for those who set their hearts and minds to
plishment possible
a task. as the men made the difference.
Then,
always,
It was to know those men and work with
them,
my privilege
and with the successors who have caried on the tradi-
great
tions established. It has become clear to me
they increasingly
that the and hard work of
ideals,
strength, ingenuity, daring,
individuals are for Flint's remarkable record of
responsible
accomplishment.
Flint's demonstration that the of underlies
quality people
and overshadows all other factors in existence has had a
pro-
found influence on and on the activities to which I have
me,
devoted life and resources in recent
my years.
When a man believes that else is
nothing important, really,
how can he his belief
except people, implement effectively?
That is the which has and to which
me,
question challenged
I have here in own an answer
that is
found,
my community,
deeply satisfying.
It seems to me that is in
a kind of
every person, always,
informal with his
His own success is
partnership community.
to a on that
and the com-
dependent large degree c
ommunity,
after
all, is the sum total of the individuals who make
munity,
VI
it The institutions of a in are the means
turn,
up. community,
which those individuals their their and
faith, ideals,
by express
their concern for fellow men.
The between a man and his is often
partnership community
an unconscious but this fact does not make it
relationship, any
the less real. For this sense of has become a
me,
partnership
over the In the terms: Flint
growing reality years. simplest
has me much that is I in to make
return,
given good; try,
available to the of Flint much that is
people good, placing
human values first.
Flint has institutions as I have
many splendid expressing,
the faith of Flint their and their concern
said, ideals,
people,
for fellow men. own active with
My partnership my community
is another called the
institution,
expressed mainly through
Mott Foundation. This Foundation works
principally through
established such as the board of educa-
community agencies,
to and extend their services utilization of
tion,
strengthen by
facilities to a far the of the
existing degree beyond practices
the Mott Foundation is and thus is
Further, flexible,
past. highly
able to meet needs not otherwise
for,
community provided
in new areas of serv-
chiefly through pilot projects community
ice.
is the answer I have found for own need to
This, then,
my
the lesson Flint has me that
perpetuate taught only people
are And since man needs to devote as much
important. every
and conscience to the wise and useful
skill,
imagination, spend-
of as he exercised to accumulate that the
ing money money,
Foundation answers this need for me also. The Foundation
serves as the most effective of the and
faith, ideals,
expression
concern for fellow men which I have in lifetime.
acquired my
The of the Foundation have become both
objectives deeper
and wider in the course of a of continuous
quarter-century
and Our here in Flint is to
growth development. attempt open
for as as the doors of f
or
many people possible opportunity
self-advancement in active
health, education, recreation,
par-
technical economic and
skill,
ticipating citizenship, knowledge,
vn
successful to of modern But
adaptation every challenge living.
the can be the rest is to the indi-
only opportunity provided, up
vidual. Our evidence that the individual re-
experience gives
to a down-to-earth of
sponds eagerly implementation equality
of
opportunity.
So broad and so are the of the Mott Founda-
deep objectives
tion that touch almost of
they every aspect living, increasing
the for the of
values,
capacity accomplishment, appreciation
and the of the forces that make the world
understanding up
we live in. In this it be called a Foundation
sense,
may truly
for with the ultimate aim of under-
Living developing greater
men. We that our to
standing among recognize obligation
fellow men does not at the boundaries of the
stop community.
In an even man is in
with the
sense,
larger every
partnership
rest of the human race in the eternal which we
call
conquest
civilization. Just as the Foundation conducts
in
pilot projects
Flint for the sake of the whole s
o we consider the
community,
whole Foundation a total
for the sake of as much
pilot project
of the United States and the world a
s care to make a
may
similar to the of
We believe and
approach problems people.
there is a
of evidence to our
already significant
body support
belief that both the
and such as the
principles techniques,
in the Mott
community-school concept, pione
ered practice by
Foundation, can be utilized with excellent effect in other com-
munities. We are to
make available to others all the
happy
information we can
to assist them in similar under-
provide
this is a
of the Foundation.
takings; major ob
jective
For each of
us, there is a time for stock for
taking compar-
our intentions with
our The of
ing
accomplishments. thought
Flint's hundredth
and own
of half that
year, my
sharing period,
to me the for
such an
brought
impulse
accounting.
Even if a man feel
s no
to his life to
others,
necessity justify
there is no
the
to it to himself.
There
escaping necessity
justify
are
to such a
Each man's life
many ways approach
reckoning.
has its own
record of success and
failure in his
private
respon-
sibilities to
himself, his his his
associates,
family,
community,
viii
and his God. It is not to set forth an honest balance
always easy
sheet when human and abstract values are but one
involved,
can
try.
This is such a for me. it
book, then,
reckoning-up Chiefly,
is the of the ... the often uncon-
story reciprocal relationship
scious . . . between the of Flint and
partnership City myself.
of more it is also the record of the
And,
importance, develop-
ment of a of service. As I have the
said,
pattern community
Mott Foundation in a be considered a Foun-
sense,
may, large
dation for for in another it is a foundation
me, sense,
Living;
for the realization of the of life. Above
all,
living purpose my
I that this record and useful to
hope may prove illuminating
others who share the same belief in the of
importance people
and the same need to do effective about that belief.
something
Charles Stewart Mott
IX