Welburn, Edward Thomas Jr.

Impact on the world

A Philadelphia native who decided at age eight to become a car designer after seeing a Cadillac concept car, Welburn wrote to General Motors at eleven asking how to pursue the career and was advised to keep sketching and study industrial design; he enrolled at Howard University's College of Fine Arts and was hired by GM as an associate designer in 1972, becoming the company's first Black automotive designer. He rose steadily through GM's design studios over three decades — designing the record-setting 257-mph Oldsmobile Aerotech concept car and leading the Oldsmobile, Saturn, and advanced design studios — before being named Vice President of GM Design North America in 2003 and, in 2005, the first-ever Vice President of GM Global Design, a newly created role overseeing ten design centers across seven countries and more than 2,500 designers. During his tenure his teams designed the Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Camaro, and the armored presidential limousine known as “The Beast” for three U.S. presidents; he retired in 2016 after 44 years at GM as the highest-ranking Black American in the global automotive industry, and his design archive was subsequently acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, making him the first automobile designer to receive that distinction.

Life & background

Born December 14, 1950, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Welburn earned a B.A. in fine arts, focusing on sculpture and product design, from Howard University in 1972, joining General Motors immediately after graduation as the company's first Black automotive designer. He worked at GM for 44 years, serving as Vice President of Global Design from 2005 until his 2016 retirement, and has since founded a design consultancy and media production company while serving on the boards of the College for Creative Studies and the Automotive Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted.

Sources

1. National Museum of African American History and Culture; Automotive Hall of Fame; Fortune