Ford and Bartow Trapp

Roll on. By the time you read this, the seventh of April may have rolled by. Some dates stick in my memory whether I do anything about it or not.

In this case, industrialist and innovator Henry Ford died on April 7, 1947.

But why remember that? While a student at Berry College my father became the driver for founder Martha Berry. As such he often encountered the Fords and other prominent visitors.

The Fords became major donors and built a campus within the Berry College campus.

The first building was named Mary Hall in honor of Ford’s mother. Then came Clara Hall, named for his wife. A recitation hall, auditorium, weaving room, library, recreation hall and a dining hall with a laundry in the basement of the kitchen formed the Ford Campus.

The Fords were awed by Berry’s selfsufficiency and the preservation of disappearing home skills such as weaving and fiber arts.

In the mountainous area of the campus, Ford encountered a man, a farmer, a self-taught blacksmith: Bartow Trapp held many skills that Ford admired.

When Mr. Ford was expected, President Leland Green contacted my father, then a student, to be sure Mr. Trapp was on hand.

Guests stayed in cottages built for visitors. The buildings, still standing, are log structures carrying the school’s thrifty, self-sufficient theme with student- built furniture.

A bed in one of the cottages was built by my father in shop class. Ford teased my father, “I slept in Ted’s bed last night.”

During Ford’s visits, my father, as his driver, spent hours waiting while Ford and Trapp sharpened plows and scythes, tinkered with something that needed it, or tore down a Ford engine and put it back together.

When Miss Berry died in 1942, Mr. Ford sent a telegram that he would attend and would like to see Mr. Trapp.

Dr. Green contacted my father, then an alumnus and school principal. The request was more personal, “See if Ted is available to collect Mr. Trapp.”

My father said that on that cold day at Miss Berry’s grave, he looked across at the two men who stood in close proximity and learned something about friendship.

Henry Ford, one of the wealthiest men in America, wore an expensive wool suit, carried his hat in his hand, his shoes shined. Nearby was Bartow Trapp, one of the poorest men he knew, wearing a boiled, starched white shirt under bib overalls and rough shoes.

Their friendship was formed from what they had in common rather than being separated by their differences.

Henry Ford would die five years later in 1947. Bartow Trapp lived until 1956 and is buried at Mount Alto Baptist Church near Rome.

joenphillips@yahoo.com