Special to Atmore News
The Model T created by Henry Ford in the early 1900s is well known for its mass production, reliability, and the freedom it provided to its drivers.Escambia Career Readiness Center (ECRC) can now participate in the history of the Model T, thanks to William Lovelace III donating his beloved Model T to the ECRC Automotive Program.
This particular Model T could have made it to a museum or on a marketplace website being sold. Instead, Mr. Lovelace wanted to share his passion of the Model T by allowing younger generations share the pride of ownership.
Nick Lovelace, son of Mr. Lovelace, quoted, “The Model T was donated to the Escambia Career Readiness Center in June of 2022 with the hope that future generations of young men and women in Escambia County would be drawn, much like he was, to the history of American automobiles and the mechanical trades.”
William “Buddy” Lovelace was born in the family home on Belleville Avenue in Brewton,
August 21, 1939. He graduated from T.R. Miller High School in 1957. While at T.R. Miller, he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball and was in the 4-H Club.
During that time, he worked at the Texaco service station on Douglas Avenue owned by Aubrey Langom and later the Pan Am station in Evergreen. His first car was a 1951 Dodge Coronet 4-door sedan which led to his passion of all things mechanical. Mr. Lovelace joined the Army in 1958. He retired a second time to Navarre, Fla. In 2005 he purchased the1923 Model T Roadster from a private owner in Pensacola.
ECRC automotive students will make sure the vehicle is mechanically sound and ready to drive in parades and participate in upcoming car shows. Students will work to build a presentation sharing the history of the Model T and the process of working on it at ECRC.
If you or someone you know would like to share your automotive passion by donating to the Model T project, please contact Thomas Fischer, automotive instructor at ECRC.