19 Merrill Powell Merrill Powell graduated Baylor University in 1951 with a degree in psychology and following two years in the military in the medical service, he attended Art Center school of design. At Art Center he met Hugh Jorgenson who introduced him to William “Doc” Boyce-Smith who was already building Victress bodies, that had been penned by Jorgenson and Boyce-Smith. In early 1954, Powell bought a 49% share into Boyce-Smith’s company, which was then renamed Victress Manufacturing Co. Victress sold the sleek S1 / S1-A model that was used at Bonneville in 1953, when Joe Mabee broke the speed record for sportscars with 203.105 mph for the flying mile. Other models included the S4, S5, C2, C3 and C4. Powell designed the C2 and C3 coupes, and was the driving force in bringing the body to the public. Victress Manufacturing was a “job shop” that specialized in fiberglass products, car body production. Other products included: the Jansen Diving Girl; Bob’s Big Boy hamburger statues; Olympic rings for 1960 Squaw Valley winter Olympics; Jet fighter tow targets; floats to support docks and horse trailer parts and fenders. In the automotive sector, Griff Borgeson featured Merrill’s work in a 1959 Motor Trend magazine, underscoring the acknowledgement of Powell’s work in period. The Victress company was sold in 1961 to the expanding LaDawri Coachcraft. Powell spent a year in the movie making industry after leaving Victress. He then parlayed his psychology degree and manufacturing experience to start a long-term involvement with human factors engineering / ergonomics. His work touched many projects, including Titan missiles; the Apollo Space Program; B1 bombers; traffic patterns on the Panama Canal and working with a think tank group on the concept of “mission” in health care delivery. The latter combined Merrill’s experiences, capitalizing on his medical service in the military. The last phase of Powell’s work life was at Hughes Helicopters, later absorbed by McDonnell Douglas. Merrill was the fifteenth employee in the Hughes Helicopter Division. He worked on mock-ups of cockpits and eventually full helicopter cockpits. Powell’s skills in fabrication and human factors enhanced his value to the project team. It was clear that he had been there and done that, as they say. Merrill Powell and his wife Gerrianne live in Mesa, Arizona. Merrill works out hard on a daily basis and took up Masters Track and Field athletics at ninety-one. Mark Hyman - Hyman LTD Mark Hyman, founder of Hyman Ltd. Classic Cars, is a true ‘car nut’ in every way. He restored his first car at age 16 and has always loved tinkering with old cars. While attending college for International Finance, he stumbled upon a Facel-Vega which he bought and sold for a profit. Mark started sourcing cars for clients in Europe and discovered how much fun he was having doing it. “I never made a conscious decision to enter the car business, but by the time I graduated I was well on my way.” Mark has an affinity for English, German and Italian sports cars, pre- and post-war classics, custombodied Packards, Duesenbergs and European one-off coachbuilts, as well as 1950s-era American collectibles. When you visit, you will also see Mark’s personal collection which includes the Dodge he restored as a teenager and a DKW motorcycle; one of his earliest finds. Cars, travel, business, making deals and meeting people combine to keep the business fresh. “Business is fun when you’re doing something you love.”
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