Ed Cole's motto was: "Kick the hell out of the status
quo." He lived it every day. As president of GM and
former Chief Engineer of Chevrolet, he was a dynamo.
He was articulate. He thought big. He talked big. He
got people to do big things. He was mischievous, a
maverick, softhearted, hard-nosed when he had to
be. He had a quick wit and a quirky grin and uncanny
automotive instincts. He thought cars and trucks
should get up and go. Quickly. He made "dash" and
"daring" Chevy by-words.
He didn't invent the Corvette. It was already a clay
model when he first saw it. But he recognized it
instantly as the ideal symbol of a soon-to-be reborn
Chevrolet marque. The Corvette was exciting. But
what really excited Ed Cole was the bizarre notion
that such a car-two seats, plastic-bodied, six months
from drawing board to driveway-could come from GM's
conservative car division. What a way to launch the
new Chevrolet.
Of his 47 years at General Motors, only 10 were spent
at Chevrolet, but they were Chevy's post-war growth
years and they formed the foundation for the
division's continued dominance of the American
automotive scene. His stated task when he became
Chief Engineer in May, 1952, was to bring a
light-weight low cost V8 into the Chevy engine lineup.
He did. It was called, simply, the Chevy small block.
For the next 50 years, it would reign supreme as
America's most significant automotive engine design.
As Chief Engineer and later as General Manager, Cole
made Chevy thunder the heartbeat of America. In 15
months, he tripled the size of the engineering staff.
He permitted Zora Duntov to install the V8 in the '55
Corvette. When the car bombed in the marketplace,
he cleared Chevy to go racing. First, the February,
1956 Daytona Beach trials, then the Sebring 12-hour,
next Jerry Earl's SR-2, and lastly a factory-prepared
car for Dr. Dick Thompson, the flying dentist.
Embarrassed at Sebring in '57 when the beautiful SS
Corvette proved vastly unready, he would later allow
GM styling boss Bill Mitchell to wrap a swoopy body
around an SS test "mule", call it a Sting Ray, and turn
it into what-in retrospect-is the most important racing
Corvette of them all. With Dick Thompson doing most
of the driving, the Mitchell Sting Ray kept the high
performance flame alive at Chevy in '59 and '60 and
set the stage for the production Sting Ray era.
A mischievous Cole was the architect of Chevy's
back-door stock car racing escapades of the late
'50s. The 348 and the 409, first big-block engines,
were designed during Cole's tenure at Chevy. He
coached the small-car Chevy program into existence
as well as the vehicle of which he was most proud
and for which he may be best remembered -the
Corvair. Low, light, rear-engine, air-cooled, the
Corvair was in keeping with much of the Cole's
philosophy about cars. Like the Corvette, the Corvair
"kicked the hell out of the status quo."
Cole left Chevy to become GM group vice-president in
1961. Promoted to Executive VP in '65 and to the
presidency in '67, Cole found himself at the helm of
GM. high performance took on an altogether different
meaning. It meant tuning engines for fuel economy,
not power. It meant stouter bumpers, catalytic
converters and the like. Under Cole's leadership, GM
became the world leader in safety research. His 1972
declaration that all GM cars would be equipped with
catalytic converters in 1975 spelled-at long last-the
end of lead in gasoline. On his retirement in 1974, Ed
Cole could look back on a career of kicking the hell
out of the status quo, and the world-Corvette
included-is far better off. Ed Cole died in a light plane
crash in May, 1977.
Schoenith Grosse Pointe Shores Home |
| The home's family room could seat almost as many guests as the most small bars in Grosse Pointe. The Lake Shore Drive home was the first all electric home in the mid-west. It also featured, in 1975, the largest theater room featuring a 7 foot TV screen. |
| Tom and Jerry with college friend, Tom Monaham pictures standing on the master bed room balcony. The massive structure was created with steal girders and nearly one foot think cement floors up and down. The family home looked much smaller from the outside because of the garage was built in the rear. Joe Schoenith, the twin's father hated to see a garage as a facet of a house. In addition, extra cars would be parked in front of them, creating an unsightly look of the structure's design. |
Tom and Jerry's party house was
located at 585 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe
Shores. The Playboy style haunt was snuggled
between Henry and Benson Ford’s mansions with the
Dodge Estates just a short drive away. Some of their
neighbors were TV and Radio celebrities, the owner of
Jeep, America Motors Corporation in addition to
entrepreneurs who became millions by patenting their
automotive technology. The various auto barons’
wealth made Grosse Point Shores the wealthiest area
in the country at that time.
The twins’ guests list ranged from Herman Hermits,
Rear Earth, Brenda Lee, and Mike Douglas to the
president of the United State's son, famous Gold Cup
unlimited hydroplane drivers many of the Detroit Red
Wings, Indy drivers and Detroit Lions. The Roostertail
catered the larger parties. The home featured two
kitchens and two wet bars that could serve up to 500
guests. Foods for all taste, an array of sweets in
addition to premium spirits were Tom and Jerry’s party
signature. After the guests check their coat in the
walk-in hatcheck, they were directed up to the
master bedroom. Beautiful girls in the finest lingerie
would pour sparkling champagne. Today, a good-
looking guy would be added.
The twins hosted affairs from causal beach parties to
black tie get-togethers. One of the most memorable
was Ed Cole’s first of many official retirement parties
from GM. The party for one hundred guests began
with hors d' oeuvres and cocktails in the family room.
After cocktails, the Grosse Pointe police escorted a
parade of cars to the Bronze Door, one of the Grosse
Pointes' renowned eateries. Ed and his wife Dollie
drove with Jerry in his Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham to
the white glove dinner at the Bronze Door. As Jerry
opened the driver's door, Ed was helping Dollie out of
the Cadillac's backseat. Then Ed surprised Jerry when
he said, “my secretary will arrange to get you a new
Brougham tomorrow“, this is why GM was the number
one automaker and the largest company in the world.
located at 585 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe
Shores. The Playboy style haunt was snuggled
between Henry and Benson Ford’s mansions with the
Dodge Estates just a short drive away. Some of their
neighbors were TV and Radio celebrities, the owner of
Jeep, America Motors Corporation in addition to
entrepreneurs who became millions by patenting their
automotive technology. The various auto barons’
wealth made Grosse Point Shores the wealthiest area
in the country at that time.
The twins’ guests list ranged from Herman Hermits,
Rear Earth, Brenda Lee, and Mike Douglas to the
president of the United State's son, famous Gold Cup
unlimited hydroplane drivers many of the Detroit Red
Wings, Indy drivers and Detroit Lions. The Roostertail
catered the larger parties. The home featured two
kitchens and two wet bars that could serve up to 500
guests. Foods for all taste, an array of sweets in
addition to premium spirits were Tom and Jerry’s party
signature. After the guests check their coat in the
walk-in hatcheck, they were directed up to the
master bedroom. Beautiful girls in the finest lingerie
would pour sparkling champagne. Today, a good-
looking guy would be added.
The twins hosted affairs from causal beach parties to
black tie get-togethers. One of the most memorable
was Ed Cole’s first of many official retirement parties
from GM. The party for one hundred guests began
with hors d' oeuvres and cocktails in the family room.
After cocktails, the Grosse Pointe police escorted a
parade of cars to the Bronze Door, one of the Grosse
Pointes' renowned eateries. Ed and his wife Dollie
drove with Jerry in his Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham to
the white glove dinner at the Bronze Door. As Jerry
opened the driver's door, Ed was helping Dollie out of
the Cadillac's backseat. Then Ed surprised Jerry when
he said, “my secretary will arrange to get you a new
Brougham tomorrow“, this is why GM was the number
one automaker and the largest company in the world.
| Some of the hottest restaurant during the 50's and 60's had a Hawaiian theme. When Millie Schoenith visited Edgar Kaiser's Hawaiian Village on the inland of Oahu she loved the Polynesian people and their customs. In the lower portion of house Millie designed a fully functional Trader Vic's style room Take A tour of Trader Vic's located throughout the world. |
| Ed Cole's retirement party as the head of the world's largest company GM |
| The modernistic design was consider by many a little to much for the Pointes'. In 1962 the 3" red shag carpeting, Lucite bathroom sinks, vanity filled with sea shells and light from the sides. The master bed room's all pink marble bathroom featured a sunken tub and real Gold faucets. |
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Official Jewelers
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