In Memoriam
This chronological list of the people who have passed away are remembered as those who have donated their time and/or treasure to the preservation and/or restoration of the Packard Proving Grounds (PPG) Historic Site.
Frederick A. MacArthur (1903-1981) was memorialized by his son Donald and his grandson John by adopting the North Parkway of the PPG by making a donation. A bronze plaque describes that Frederick was a Packard engineer from 1928 to 1956 and Chief Body Engineer from 1953 to 1956.
Dr. Donald F. MacArthur (1927-2004) memorialized his father Frederick by joining his son John and adopting the North Parkway of the PPG. Together they made a donation and a bronze plaque is located on the inside of the wall near the North Parkway gate.
Carl Altz (1909-2008) started working as a test driver at the PPG in 1934. He was interviewed in a Modern Marvels episode that aired January 8, 2001. An oral history was taken on March 5, 2007. He participated in the dedication of markers for both the Michigan Registered Historic Site (2005) and the National Register of Historic Places (2007).
Robert Turnquist (1926-2009) is considered “Mr. Packard” by those in the hobby. He wrote a definitive book on Packards and had a successful career restoring Packards and others. He and his wife Sonia adopted the South Parkway by making a donation to the Packard Motor Car Foundation (PMCF) After his death their foundation continues to make a donation to the PMCF.
Ed Herrmann (1943–2014) was an American actor, director and writer. He attended board meetings and sat at the PPG information booth in Hershey, PA. He would “talk Packard“ and sign autographs. He did the voiceover for the PPG restoration video.
Russ Murphy (1932-2015) first worked for the Packard Motor Car Company while attending college. He graduated in 1953 from Lawrence Tech with a degree in Civil Engineering. His passion for Packards and his support for the PMCF is legendary. He generously donated three of his favorite and rare vehicles to the PMCF.
Linda Kughn (1942-2015) was a strong businesswoman. She and her husband Dick shared a strong commitment to contributing to the local community. They donated towards retiring the PPG mortgage. A bronze plaque recognizing the 4 couples who retired the mortgage is located in the Lodge Garage.
Gene Ledbetter (1942-2016) was well liked and respected within the Packard community. He organized a “glazing“ project to replace the broken windows of the airplane hangar. His family and friends memorialized him by donating to the building of the impressive digital sign at the main entrance to the site.
Frank Ricciadelli (1941-2017) was a very successful contractor in New Jersey and owned some great classic cars, including a 1934 Packard 12 with a Dietrich V windshield body. He and his wife Milli donated towards retiring the PPG mortgage.
Sonia Turnquist (1926-2017) accompanied her husband, Bob, as he traveled around the country lecturing about Packards. She memorialized him by adopting the South Parkway. She made a donation and a bronze plaque is located on the inside of the wall near the South Parkway gate.
Janine Saputo (1948-2017) wrote the application for listing the PPG in the National Register of Historic Places. The application is available to read and is referenced in the Wikipedia description of the Packard Proving Grounds.
Ken Hayden (1945-2018) After retiring from Chrysler after 40 years, he devoted himself to restoring the buildings of the PPG. After his passing, his family and friends memorialized him by donating to adopt the Gate Lodge Garage. A bronze plaque is located there.
Dick Kughn (1929-2019) was instrumental in the negotiations with Ford Land Development to purchase the PPG site. He financed the land contract for the PPG, contributed towards retiring the mortgage and contributed to the purchase of the Packard Plant Employee Entrance Doorway.
Don Sommer (1933-2019) cofounded the Meadow Brook European style Concours d’ Elegance. He also organized the Cars R Stars car shows at the PPG.
Bud Juneau (1939-2021) was on the PMCF Board of Trustees and was its president in 2012. He wrote the PPG history for both the Shelby Township Historical Committee and the PPG trifold membership application.
Sue Tolonen (1947-2023) along with her husband Dave became involved with the PPG soon after it was obtained by the PMCF. They lived nearby and became the “go to” people for years. They managed the growing number of volunteers, conducted tours, organized work parties, assisted with car collector winter storage and started the gift shop. They were the first recipients of the annual outstanding volunteer service award.
Dr. Charles Blackman (1925-2023) was on the PMCF board and was a noted Packard authority. His Packard friends, of which were there were multitudes, will remember him as a source of parts and advice, an avid collector of the Marquee, and an expert on Packard production numbers. He also helped in the negotiations with Ford Land Development.
Carolyn Connell (1952-2023) volunteered with her husband, Pat, and scanned Packard original photographs which were kept in the “Vault” – the climate controlled archival room. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the operations and personnel at both the plant and the PPG.
Becca Kuehl (1949-2024) was a trustee and former president of the Packard Motor Car Foundation which was organized as an Ohio non-profit corporation in 1997. She recruited John MacArthur to be a trustee at the 1999 Packard Centennial meet in Warren, OH. She helped mobilize the Packard community to support saving a portion of the former Packard Proving Grounds.
Rob Neibel (1966-2024) was on the PMCF Board of Trustees and was overseeing the reconstruction of the Packard Plant Employee Entrance Doorway in the Tank Test Center when he passed.
Rick Mayer (1964-2024) was the PPG resident historian. He gave tours and wrote the docent training reference guide. He also wrote both a list of notable events and a list of references. You rarely saw him without a camera. He took beautiful pictures of the PPG, its events and its cars.
Richard M. Langworth (1941-2025) sounded the alarm in 1989 and said: “Someone needs to see about trying to save all of or part of the Proving Grounds”. A seed was planted… He was a prolific writer. He was editor of The Packard Cormorant from 1975 to 2001. He served on the PMCF Board of Trustees.
Ray Hollingsworth (1938–2025) Ray and his wife Ro had been volunteers at the PPG since 2012. They helped with several projects over the years. They received the Tolonen Award, the Foundation’s volunteers of the year, in 2017. He was a proud vet and took pride in raising and lowering the PPG flag.
