Daughter of Mustang logo designer publishes book

RUSK — Last year, the Daily Progress got the chance to interview Holly Clark of Rusk, who is the daugther of Ford’s Mustang car designer Phil Clark. She has recently published a book — the first in a beginning series — to retell the Mustang history, stories about her father and how it all began. The Daily Progress caught up with Holly again to ask her some questions. Her responses are below.

Tell us a little bit of the background when the Daily Progress first interviewed you?

It was a story that was about my debute in Mustang Monthly and about me finding all of my dad’s drawings and letters up in my grandmother’s attic — 20 years ago. I spent the last 20 years searching for and proving my dad was involved in the Mustang — that he was the designer of the Mustang Emblem — that he was the one that was involved in the overall design of Mustang I Prototype (it’s in the Henry Ford Museum). I told the story of how dad came up with the name Mustang when he was on he way to the Art School of Design in California 1958. He saw the Wild Mustangs on the Plains (Nevada) and previously drew horses fenced in. Now, all of his cars had these wild free mustang emblems on them and all of his cars were called mustangs, with the “Body By Clark” design. He knew he was dying with an unknown urological disorder and he wanted to leave immortality behind in the name of Clark — in a car — a car he called Mustang — A Body By Clark Car. He was first hired by GM (General Motors) 1961 and started the GM Mustang and then went to Ford with the idea.

What’s the name of the book and when did the book officially come out?

The Man Behind the Pony Series, Book One — Finding My Father. The book officially came out exclusively in our Ebay Store on May 14, 2006

What is the purpose behind the book?

The words are my story of trying to find my father ... and who he was ... and who I was through his eyes. Our lives are so intertwined, the two stories can not be separated.

The purpose of book One is twofold: To present the facts of finding my father, the Mustang I and Mustang emblem designer-- a visionary car designer who had disappeared from my life in 1968 (I didn’t know anything about him from the last Christmas I was with him).

The second purpose of the book is to present his drawings, journals, letters and other scrapbook items as I discovered them. These items are historical in nature and tell a story within themselves. They are a code unto Mustangers and car historian’s alike. Thousands of interviews and memorbilia that have been collected, along with journal entries tell a different story than the history books, in some cases. The memorbilia we have is Frozen in Time ... and since the man behind them died in 1968, there is no disputing it. It is a side to the car world that no one knows.

The book, however, is something that anyone can read, even if they are not a car person, because the mystery. The coded letters — the coded photos — those are for the car people. The words — those are for everyone. Everyone has a father or is a father or knows a father.

The Man Behind the Pony Series will have all the interviews with all the people I have talked to that knew dad ... all the people whose names I found in the attic who were associated with daddy or who were associated with his work.

What were some of the goals you had in mind when putting this book together?

Personal goals — to get to know my father I had not known. To tell the world who the Mustang designer was. His mother actually went to her grave saying it was so unfair — he was so talented and didn’t get credit for his awesome works! He designed 24/7 and wanted to make the world a better place for humanity and leave that behind when he died, and he wanted to be remembered and everyone forgot him. I wanted him to be remembered! I wanted him to be remember by the world — for who he was: an author, songwriter, poet, comedian, artist, designer, engineer, manager, genius, friend — father.

What else has been going on besides the book?

I was at the 40th Anniversary of the Mustang in Nashville, Tennessee at the Heritage room where the Henry Ford Museum brought out dad’s Mustang I design, and I was allowed to see it and sit in it for the first time. I still get chills just thinking of it! It was one of the most spirital things I have experianced. I felt like dads spirit was right there with me. I will be going to Birmingham again for the 35th Anniversary of the Mustang Club of America at Barber MotorSports Park. I have been to Carroll Shelby’s home in Pittsburg, Texas. I have been to John Force’s Transporter and was also with Mr. Shelby, Mr. Force,and all the original Mustang designers who knew dad, including Edsel Ford II in Nashville.

The biggest things are the Web sites and the contacts with all of dad’s design friends and who they have become. Most of them are retired, but they went on to design other Mustangs after daddy died and other cars and even motorcycles, one of the guys that dad was good friends with was the designer of all BMWs and the Suzuki Katanas.

How do you want readers to feel after they’ve read the book?

Good question! Impatient for the next one — like they can’t wait for it! There is so much more to tell — so much more to this story. One book just isn’t enough.

You mentioned a book signing in Rusk that’s happening soon, could you tell us about that?

July 1, we will be having a car show and a book signing in Rusk in the Square for the July 4th Celebration — 10 a.m. We will open at 8 a.m. for registration. Pre-registration is better. Contact Russ Kintz at r.kintz@tcu.edu for car show information or contact Connie Brown at the Rusk Chamber of Commerce (at 903-683-4242) for parade information. The entry fee is $15 (and) includes a collectible T-shirt.

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