William Bidwell
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William Bidwell |
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| Livonia, Michigan | ||
| [email protected] | ||
| After Parkside, I went to Ferris State, where I
got my degree in Technical Illustration. After graduation, I was hired by Ford Motor
Company as an illustrator, drawing body assembly manuals at the Research and Engineering
Center in Dearborn, MI. My career at Ford suffered a minor setback six months later,
however, when I was informed that I would be spending the next two years in the Army!
After basic training at Ft. Knox, I was sent to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for advanced training
in artillery. Not exactly the best place to be at the height of the Vietnam War, but I was
very, very lucky because there was a need for my artistic skills right there at Ft. Sill,
and I spent the rest of my Army career serving as an illustrator at the Ft. Sill Training
Academy. After the Army, it was back to Ford, where I have been ever since. Almost all automotive design work has been done by computer for many years now, so I was retrained several times to keep up with changing technology. My positions at Ford have included Technical Illustrator, Finite Element Modeler, Numerical Control Surface Designer, and my present job as a Product Engineering Designer. Some of my recent assignments have been the current Windstar Liftgate, the 2002 Lincoln Town Car Quarter Panel, and the 2003 Windstar Liftgate. Life in the auto industry has been pretty interesting and I feel very lucky to have had jobs that I enjoy doing so much. I have been married to my wife, Karen, for 18 years. No children, but we currently share our lives with two cats and a German Shepherd. The dog works as a therapy pet at local nursing homes and performs in a canine drill team at parades and other functions. In the winter, I spend my free time playing competitive volleyball and skiing as much as possible -- I try to get out west twice a year. In the summer it’s tennis, trail biking and swimming in the backyard pool. My motto is "Use it or lose it!" |