Henry Ford, who started the Ford Motor Company in 1903, was a firm believer that history should be absorbed — not through textbooks but by seeing and experiencing it firsthand. Ford believed that we create better futures when we learn from our past. So, in 1929, he formed the Edison Institute that we know today as The Henry Ford, a museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
An engraved copy of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s camp bed, the red velvet theater chair where President Lincoln was assassinated, the bus where Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, and the convertible that John F. Kennedy rode in that fateful day are a few of the 26 million artifacts displayed at the museum. Famous inventions range from steam locomotives, printing presses, early stoves, and furniture designs to a round, luxurious home crafted of silver metal, advertised in the 1940s as the “home of the future.”
Ford’s appreciation for preserving history wasn’t limited to vehicles, farm equipment, airplanes, or heavy machinery. With the addition of Greenfield Village, which opened to the public in 1953, Ford began scouring the country for homes and businesses that held significance to our country, such as the Wright brothers’ bicycle shop and home, Ford’s childhood home, the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law, Thomas Edison’s laboratory, and the home of Noah Webster. The village also contains covered bridges, an irreplaceable carousel, a windmill, cottages, and plantation homes dating back to before the American Revolution.
When Kevin Galindo Garcia signed up to participate in the Invention Club at East Side Elementary School under the leadership of resource teacher Lorie Richardson, he was looking for fun and adventure. What he discovered was greater than Kevin ever imagined.
“East Side Elementary is a small Title I school near downtown Shelbyville,” said Richardson. “As a teacher, I want to give my students opportunities, and the Invention Convention has given our students opportunities that they wouldn’t have without this program. From being on a college campus at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to competing with 600 to 700 other inventions, my students are able to overcome their fears and feel a sense of accomplishment in completing their projects. We have also earned recognition within our community due to the success of this program since we’ve been fortunate to have four separate groups selected to attend the national Invention Convention at The Henry Ford.”
Over 50 students from East Side have competed at the regional competition at MTSU since 2016, and 10 have advanced to the national competition. Like most of these students, this was Kevin’s first time to fly on an airplane or travel to another state, and his father, Miguel, was able to enjoy it also. For Richardson, she took a group to Washington, D.C., in 2016, and since the convention moved to The Henry Ford, she has taken winners in 2017, 2018, and now in 2024.
“Kevin is one of the hardest-working kids I know. He gives his best effort with whatever he does. I challenged my students to take risks as they looked at solutions to their problems. When I asked Kevin about how he was going to solve the problem of people dying when their cars go underwater, he told me he would create a way that people could get access to oxygen quickly in their car. I was skeptical, but he made it work,” said Richardson.
“My invention was the underwater mask to help people breathe underwater and give them more time to get out,” said Kevin. “My partner and I came up with the idea. When I was chosen at MTSU, I felt proud of myself, happy that I had won, and I was a little nervous.”
Richardson said the feeling she receives when she sees the wonder and awe on the faces of her students as they walk into the museum is worth the extra hours she stayed after school leading the program.
“I love walking through the invention displays submitted by students from all over the country and seeing all of their ideas. As you walk through, you realize that you are among students who will be world changers,” said Richardson. “This program is important because it teaches students how they can solve problems using real-world, project-based learning. This will lead to the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers, and business leaders.”
Although Kevin enjoyed every inch of the museum and Greenfield Village, his favorite automobile on display was the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which has been a national icon since 1936. GN
