Image sourced from: Ford Motor Company
McKinley Thompson Jr. was the first Black car designer and the first Black designer hired by the Ford Motor Company. During his time at Ford, McKinley helped design the brand’s first 4×4 SUV, the Ford Bronco, as well as several of Ford’s most famous vehicles.
McKinley William Thompson Jr. was born on November 8, 1922, in Queen, New York to McKinley William Thompson Sr. and Evelyne M. Thompson. From a young age, he showed an interest in cars. When he was 12, he saw a new silver DeSoto Airflow, and this moment sparked his desire to become a car designer.
After graduating from high school, McKinley served in the U.S. Army and served as an engineering design layout coordinator for the Army Signal Corps during World War II. He worked for the Army Signal Corps until 1953.
In the same year, he saw an ad for an automotive and industrial design scholarship in Motor Trend magazine. The winner would receive a 4-year scholarship to the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. McKinley’s application featured sketches and drawings for a gas turbine automobile. He won the contest and became the first Black student to attend the ArtCenter College of Design. McKinley earned a degree in transportation design in 1956.
After graduating, McKinley caught the attention of fellow ArtCenter alumnus Alex Tremulis, Ford’s chief of advanced styling. Alex hired McKinley, thus fulfilling his dream of becoming a car designer.
He was part of Ford’s Advanced Styling Studio where he contributed designs that led to several of Ford’s most popular vehicles to this day, including the Ford Bronco, Ford Mustang, and the Ford Thunderbird.
He also worked on designs for the Ford GT40 racing car and concept cars like the Allegro and a two-wheel car they called the Gyron. The Gyron was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 1961. In 1962, McKinley received the Citizen of the Year award from Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh.
During his tenure at Ford, McKinley managed more than 50 designers and modelers before he retired in 1984.
McKinley worked for Ford for 28 years and left a lasting legacy in the automotive industry. Vehicles he worked on for Ford remain favorites today.
“McKinley was a man who followed his dreams and wound up making history,” said Ford Bronco interior designer Christopher Young in a Ford article. “He not only broke through the color barrier in the world of automotive design, he helped create some of the most iconic consumer products ever – from the Ford Mustang, Thunderbird and Bronco – designs that are not only timeless but have been studied by generations of designers.”
His influence in the automotive industry goes beyond car designs. He helped pave the way for those who might not have as many opportunities to express and pursue creative dreams. He showed them that you can believe in your dream and achieve it through his work at one of America’s most well-known automotive manufacturers.