Designing Cars, Opening Doors: Ed Welburn Continues Blazing a Trail
This is the final story of a monthlong Black History Month series about the impact of Black people in automotive history.
Chance encounters can be life-changing experiences. Sometimes they can change a lot more. In the case of Ed Welburn, a visit to the 1959 Philadelphia Auto Show helped transform an entire industry.
Welburn was barely 8 years old when he went with his parents to the annual event. There were dozens of vehicles on display, but it was the jet fighter-like Cadillac Cyclone concept car on the General Motors stand that captured the youngster’s imagination.
“It mesmerized me,” Welburn recalls more than six decades later. “Everything else at that show is a blur except for the Cyclone.”
Starting young
As far back as he can remember, Welburn was surrounded by cars, his father running a repair shop in the Philly suburbs. He was helping neighborhood kids fix their bicycles even before he could tie his shoes. But this was different. And he knew he wanted to design, rather than repair, cars. “And I knew I wanted to work for that company,” Welburn said during a lengthy conversation.
At that time, it might have seemed a wholly unlikely goal. It was still the era of Jim Crow laws and racism extended throughout the business world. Only a handful of blacks had landed jobs at one of the Detroit automakers’ design studios — and then, usually in menial jobs. But Welburn was nothing if not determined. And eventually, he would not only achieve his goal but also go far beyond what anyone could have ever imagined at that time.
When he turned 11, Welburn sent a letter to General Motors asking what the career path for a designer would be and, to his surprise, he received a warm response. “They sent me great info and that had a big influence on me.”
Welburn switched his focus but nearly ran into a wall when he was turned down by all of the college auto design programs he applied to.
A dream nearly fades away
“I was seeing the dream fade as I got rejection letter after rejection letter,” said Welburn. “And then I got accepted by Howard University.”
Often billed as the most prestigious of the “historic black colleges and universities,” Howard attracted a wealth of talent. Among Welburn’s fellow students were actors and musicians like Phylicia Rashad, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway and Debbie Allen. Donald Byrd was one of the school’s instructors. One of Welburn’s lead instructors was the renowned Harlem renaissance painter Lois Jones.
For Welburn, though, his path seemed indelibly linked to GM and, as he finished his junior year, he landed an internship at the automaker’s legendary Design Dome. He started out working as a sculptor, a job that had him translate design sketches into 3D models. But that wasn’t quite the career he imagined and, whenever possible, he recalled, “I sketched like mad. And by end of summer I was called into office and they told me they wanted to hire me after I finished Howard.”
An extra burden
Like many black pioneers, Welburn felt an extra weight on his shoulders to succeed though, at first, he felt isolation. “The thing that hit me right away,” he recalls, is that the other African Americans who worked in design — almost always in menial jobs — seemed to shun him. It was only later he realized, “They were so excited … they didn’t want to screw that up so they stayed clear of me.”
While Welburn admits at times feeling “like I was over my head,” he was attracting attention — positive attention. Among those he impressed was Bill Mitchell, only the second design chief in General Motors’ history. Moved into the Buick studios that were a favorite of Mitchell’s, Welburn began to feel “like I was taking root.”
Welburn was by no means the first black to pencil a design for the auto industry. McKinley Thompson Jr., a World War II vet, joined Ford as a stylist in 1957, and gets credit for some significant projects, including the original Bronco concept. But Welburn’s talents — as well as his timing — enabled him to continue climbing the corporate ladder.
Opening doors
And, in he process, he opened up doors for other minority talent, said GM President Mark Reuss. “Ed clearly broke all ceilings of diversity in our industry — especially in design.”
Among those well aware of the opportunities Welburn helped create is Ralph Gilles, named head of design for Fiat Chrysler in 2015 and now Creative Design Director for Stellantis. “Ed Welburn is not only an icon within the automotive design industry but also within the African American community as the first person of color to be named as a head of design,” said Gilles, who also is black.
During a 44-year career at GM, Welburn would take on increasingly challenging assignments in North America, then Europe, then landing a role on the leadership team set up by design chief Wayne Cherry. “He gave me a lot of difficult assignments and took me out of my comfort zone,” Welburn said about Cherry, the man he refers to as “my first true mentor.”
It was only in the months before Cherry’s retirement that a successor was picked. “I never assumed I would become vice president of design until very close to when it happened,” Welburn said.
Rebuilding a legacy
It was a crucial time for GM, following a series of debacles for the design department in the 1980s and 1990s — notably the launch of a series of look-alike sedans, such as the Chevrolet Cavalier, that saw the automaker lambasted. And, within GM, the once powerful design department was virtually neutered.
Welburn gets credit for some of the products that helped win back its prestige and power, including a concept model that led to the revival of the once popular Chevrolet Camaro. It’s one of a handful of products Welburn said he is most proud of. Others include the seventh-generation Corvette developed in near secrecy while GM was struggling through bankruptcy, as well as a series of Buick concepts.
“In terms of his impact and accomplishments, Ed Welburn stands with some of the great design legends of the auto industry, men like Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell,” suggested Bill Pretzer, a curator with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. “He is a very different personality type … but he is equally influential and impactful.”
The story continues
Now, nearly six years after stepping down from his frantic General Motors schedule, Ed Welburn is anything but retired. Quite the contrary, many days he seems busier than ever. He sits on the board of the Tony Bennett Foundation, deeply involved in a program supporting the arts at New York and Los Angeles Schools. (He also served on a host committee helping celebrate Bennett’s 90th birthday.)
Welburn confided if he hadn’t gone into car design, “I would have gone into fashion,” and revealed he is now designing women’s shoes. He occasionally returns to his early love of sculpting and, among other things, crafted the handsome trophy awarded by the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year jury.
“I don’t feel like I retired from GM. I graduated,” Welburn said with a soft chuckle. “I felt like I had this tunnel vision about cars all my life. All my creative juices have blossomed in a number of directions.”
That’s not to say he’s abandoned the automotive world entirely. Welburn is an advisor to Bolt Mobility, which describes itself as “a transformational personal transportation company committed to ensuring access, equity, and quality of life through micromobility.”
No longer lost to history
Welburn has a passion for history. He continues to serve as a senior judge at many of the country’s most prestigious car shows, including the Pebble Beach Concours, The Amelia and the Greenwich Concours.
Then there’s the project he seems most excited about these days. His Welburn Media Productions is working up a feature film focused on Charlie Wiggins, one of the greatest race car drivers of the first half of the 20th Century — but a man barred from circuits like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway because of his color.
“I want the world to see and hear this incredible story,” said Welburn, hinting he might have other cinema projects to follow.
Welburn intends to make sure opportunity awaits tomorrow’s Charlie Wiggins, while those who seemed lost to history will finally find their due. In the process, Welburn is carving out a legacy that goes well beyond the cars, trucks and crossovers that he helped craft during a long Detroit career.
“His design legacy and achievements will continue to inspire the current and next generations of product and industrial designers,” said Gilles. “And, those who know Ed, understand how he carries himself with style, grace and a quiet humility. I am honored to call Ed a friend and a mentor.”
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