Officers

Richard Rubens, President
Dick has served in a variety of administration positions for public, private and volunteer organizations. He is a former Vice President for Gilbert Dodge Association, General Manager for ElectroNetics Corp., Chief of Security at the Detroit Institute of Arts, MCCC Public Safety Administrator, and Detroit Police Community Services Officer for the Midtown Development Area. Dick is also a former Ambassador for the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce.

Dick is the T-Plex representative on the Woodward Strategic Initiative and the Detroit Greenways Project Design Teams. He is the Secretary for the Piquette T's Model T Ford Club, and a member of the Model T Ford Club of America and the Henry Ford Heritage Association.

Randy Mason, Vice President
Randy is a former transportation curator at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. He has single handedly administered nine major transportation and automotive collections for over a decade. He is a consultant for automotive history, research and writing, auto historic site development, and old car event development. His clients have included the Henry Ford Estate, the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum, and the Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh.

Randy has been extensively involved in the old car hobby since 1965. He has been instrumental in producing Greenfield Village's Old Car Festival for over 20 years and was involved in Greenfield Village's Motor Munster for six years.

A proficient old car driver, Randy has owned over 60 cars and currently maintains a small stable of elderly vehicles dating back to 1904.

Paul James Sloan, Corporate Secretary
Paul James Sloan is a preservationist that has been involved in various capacities with the Piquette Avenue Plant since the organization was formed. Mr. Sloan was born in the village of Grosse Pointe, Michigan and currently resides in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan where he actively supports several local organizations. Such as: Grosse Pointe Public Library Foundation, Grosse Pointe War Memorial, St. Paul Catholic Church of Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Farms Foundation, and the Neighborhood Club of Grosse Pointe. He was named a trustee of the Grosse Pointe Historical Society in 2005.

Mr. Sloan is an avid antique automobile enthusiast and active in the Model T Ford Club of America, the Model T Ford Club International, the Piquette T's, and The Henry Ford.

Rick Lindner, Treasurer
Rick is proprietor of Lindner Bookkeeping & Tax Service in Columbus, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University before transferring to Franklin University where he earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. He has fifteen years experience preparing taxes and doing bookkeeping. Rick owns two 1903 Model A's, a 1915 Model T Touring, a 1929 Model A Touring, a 1948 Ford Super Deluxe Convertible, a 1956 Fairlane Convertible, and a 1959 Skyliner Retractable Hardtop.

Directors

John Forster
An avid antique car collector, John has been a long time supporter of the T-plex and was elected to the T-plex board in 2008. His collection includes the beautiful 1909 Model T Touring and several other cars usually on display at the T-plex. With his extensive knowledge of early Fords and other cars, John serves as an advisor on the development of the T-plex vehicle collection.

Andrew Giacobone
Mr. Giacobone was elected to the T-Plex board in May 2005. He has been a volunteer since 2003. He also serves as Membership Secretary and Newsletter Editor.

He is manager of Electronics Planning at Audi of America, having spent 20 years in the automotive industry. Mr. Giacobone earned his bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from GMI Engineering & management Institute in 1989. He is a member of SAE and SCCA, and is currently restoring a 1955 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in his spare time.

Charles K. Hyde
Charlie Hyde recently retired from forty years of teaching History at Wayne State University in Detroit. He first became aware of the Ford Piquette factory and the entire Milwaukee Junction industrial district some thirty-five years ago when he began studying Detroit's factories. He has published three books and many articles on the history of the Detroit auto industry. Charlie serves as the President of the National Automotive History Collection of the Detroit Public Library and was a co-founder of the Automotive Authors Book Fair, to be held for the fifth straight year in November 2010. Long before joining the T-Plex board of directors in January 2010, he was a founding member of T-Plex and wrote the text for the Michigan Historic Marker that now graces the front of the building. He also wrote the successful National Historic Landmark nomination for T-Plex in 2006. Charlie's main focus at T-Plex over the next few years will be the development of exhibits.

Patricia Ray Linklater
Pat has held a variety of jobs, including a business instructor, an assistant to a plant superintendent of an OEM paint manufacturer, an office administrator of an OEM steel processing center, and work in telecommunications sales and customer service.

From an early age, Pat learned from her family the values of doing volunteer work. She was appointed by Mayor Dennis Archer to serve on the Detroit Historic District Commission. Pat has been the Chair for the past six years. Since 1979, Pat has been a member of the Boston-Edison Homes Tour Committee, which is the largest fund-raiser for the association.

Arthur Pope, Recording Secretary
Born in Chicago. in 1933, Art grew up and attended school and college mainly in Tennessee, graduating with a BS in Mechanical Engineering Tennessee. Tech. University. After service in the Army Signal Corp., Art joined Ford Motor Company. He worked as a Chassis Engineer (1959- 1974), became department. Manager (1975- 1995), with a three year assignment (1974- ’77) as an Executive Engineer, at Ford Motor in San Paulo, Brazil. He has been involved in restoring the Piquette plant for several years as an active volunteer, leading the Window Restoration Team. He was elected to the TPLEX Board of Directors in January 2008. Art also serves on the Board of Trustees Rochester College, Rochester Hills , MI. He is a member The Early Ford V-8 Club: the BOD of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, and The Lincoln Highway Association. His hobbies include playing tennis, golf and restoring WW II Military Vehicles for parades and museums.

Jack Seavitt

Michael W. Skinner
Edsel B. Ford II has said of Mike Skinner, "He knows every tree that my great grandfather ever planted" Mike is the ultimate "Fordophile." He is past President of the Dearborn Historical Society and the Grosse Pointe Historical Society. Mike is a founding member of the Henry Ford Heritage Association. Since 1978, he has been a volunteer tour guide at the Henry Ford Estate - Fair Lane.

Mike is Human Resources Director for Production Tool Supply Co. of Warren, Michigan.

Thomas Soldan
A volunteer since 2006, Tom was elected to the T-plex board in January, 2008. He also serves as the webmaster for the T-plex web site and has coordinated several T-plex projects. A native Detroiter, he is retired after a 40 year career in teaching and local government. He has served on a wide range of academic, professional, and community boards, including the Oakland University Alumni Association and the Friends of the Grosse Pointe Public Library. He is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Nature Conservancy, and the Sierra Club.

Gerard VanOotegem

Emeritus

Jerald A. Mitchell, Founder and President
Jerald Mitchell is a historic preservationist. He has restored and now resides in Henry and Clara Ford's Edison Avenue home in Detroit. Jerald has obtained State Historic Designation for the Henry Ford home, and the Scarab Club in Detroit. He is an archivist and historian for the Historic Boston-Edison Association. Author of A GUIDE TO RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF HOUSES IN DETROIT. Secretary and co- founder of Boston-Edison Development, Inc., a nonprofit organization for rehabilitating houses in the Boston-Edison Historic District. Jerald is a retired Professor of Anatomy at Wayne State University, School of Medicine. Jerald retired from the role of President and CEO at the end of 2009.