Fisher Body – Fort & Livernois

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• For Lynne - Yes! I interviewed Mr. Gonas over the phone in November of 2005 and he said that he posed for the archer and that Bonnie Lemm was the one who drew the ornament. I am so thankful that I was able to meet Mr. Gonas because he knew my great-grandfather, William Schnell. I have also tried to find a patent number for the Archer, but have never found one. If there were a patent, I think it would have been stamped on the ornament somewhere, like the others that came from Ternstedt in later years. I think the design was never fully patented. What other information do you have from the PR people at GM about the early design years? I tried to get information from them and I was not as successful as you were. Thanks for anything you can share. ~Susan

• For Susan — It was good to see your post. The information I have is from what I suppose is a newsletter, “The Coachman”, compiled by the PR staff at Fisher Body GM which had been saved by my great aunt. It talks about Mr. Gonas posing and he stated that Bonnie had been assigned the project. It was good to see your interview corroborated that. This article said that Schnell selected Bonnie Lemm to do the design work and Frederick Guntinni to sculpt it in clay. It also said that Ternstedt manufactured the ornament for three years until other companies were awarded the job. The article also talks a bit about Bonnie’s husband Bill Walsh. I didn’t really remember what his position at Ternstedt was so I as glad to get the information. He was the foreman of the tool room responsible for tooling the archer. I guess that is why we have a version without the chrome coating.

  I have seen on the internet some hood ornaments that are labeled “authentic” with the signature Schnell at the foot of the archer. Ours doesn’t have that and I wonder if he would have signed it. Do you know anything about that? I have also seen some for sale on some sites with the wrong bow.

  It’s curious if the archer was never patented since others were. Bonnie had three patents — one hood ornament, one door handle and one window regulator. I’m hoping to be awarded a ticket to Antiques Roadshow so they can apply their experts to this.

  I’m really envious that you were able to talk to Mr Gonas. How old was he?

• My information on Bonnie Lemm came from a variety of sources, mostly modern internet sites easily available by typing "Bonnie Lemm Walsh" into Google.

  I've been fascinated by the classic automotive hood ornaments since childhood, and my initial info on Bonnie Lemm came about back in the early 1970's when I had the opportunity to visit with famed stylist Raymond Dietrich at his home in Albuquerque, NM. I was in my mid-20's at the time and Ray was in his mid-70's.

  We got talking about various contemporaries of Mr. Dietrich and somewhere during this conversation I asked him if he had ever heard of Bonnie Lemm. Through rather primitive (pre-internet) patent research I had learned of her name, but I had come up empty on finding her using the non-internet resources available in that day.

  Mr. Dietrich knew her and (paraphrasing) described her as extremely talented, smoked constantly, and could outswear any male co-worker. He attributed the latter two traits to her desire to be accepted in what was then a virtually all-male world. He told me that she was about his age (Dietrich was born in 1894) and that he thought she had married just before World War II to a man named Walsh, Welsh, or something like that.

  I held this information for years, unable to confirm anything until about ten years when various genealogical sites, notably the LDS FamilySearch.org appeared. At this time I found a Bonnie E. Lemm born in 1895, and a Bonnie E. Walsh (same birth date) who died in 1984. While a good defense lawyer might discredit this information as untrue, my experience with genealogical research leads me to be nearly 100% certain of these dates.

  I have not found a marriage record, although one internet site gives 1940 as the year of marriage. Since my first posting on this site I've discovered her full name - Bonnie Eva Lemm - and her place of birth, Clyde, OH.

  I had kept my notes on this from that long ago visit with Ray Dietrich, and was amazed and pleased to find vital statistics that corroborated his recollections. This meeting also yielded a moment of "personal stupidity". We talked about some of his favorite custom body designs and he suddenly grabbed a pen and a napkin, sketching a convertible sedan with a three-position top that he designed but never built. Somehow in the excitement of the moment I left and never bothered to ask if I could save this napkin. I'm quite sure that it was thrown in the garbage shortly after my departure and lost to history. How sad!

  I continue to feel very confident that my info on Bonnie Lemm Walsh is correct, although I would be very pleased rather than offended if someone steps forward with corrections. I've collected hood ornaments most of my life and a Pierce-Arrow adorns my home office desk. While it is inscribed with William Schnell's name, all sorts of anecdotal evidence points to Bonnie Lemm as the true artist.

  I, too, have been frustrated by the inability to find a patent. My archer is inscribed "Patent Pending" on the underside of the base. I'm assuming that a design patent was applied for, but withdrawn. The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was then part of the Studebaker Corporation, and the whole operation was spinning into bankruptcy. I'm guessing that the assumed withdrawal may have simply been a cost-cutting effort. Of course Studebaker came out of bankruptcy to last until 1966 as a car manufacturer, while P-A once again became independent, but staggered on with very limited production only until 1938.

• Doug and Lynne - This is fascinating information and I am so happy to read your posts. Thanks for sharing. Mr. Gonas told me that William Schnell asked him to go to the assembly line of the Archer and bring back 3 for him -- one for Schnell and one for each of his two daughters. I have one of those Archers. It is a bronze color and not chrome. The one in Mr. Gonas's home is bronze as well. The mascot does say W. N. Schnell near the feet and this is probably what people are calling a signature, though it is not in script. I have seen the Archer up for auction on ebay only five times in seven years with the correct bow and arrow. I check ebay nearly daily to build my collection of William Schnell hood ornaments and other auto trim pieces and keep track of what sells. The arrow was easily broken or lost and ebay sellers try to replace it before they sell. Most of those look very fake. The average price for the Archer (with or without the bow) on ebay in the past 7 years is about $650. The highest price paid was $1526 without a bow or arrow. The highest price paid that includes an original bow and arrow is $1050.

  I paid about $50 on ebay for an automotive dome light that Schnell designed.

  I interviewed Mr. Gonas over the phone in 2005 when he was 93. I met him in Grosse Pointe, Michigan the following year and took him to breakfast when he gave me an original 1933 Pontiac Indian from his personal collection because this is one of the many hood ornaments that Schnell designed. I maintained a friendship with Gonas (periodic phone calls, Christmas cards) until he died on Christmas in 2007. I think of him often. He was one of the very few who visited Schnell in the nursing home before Schnell died.

  For Doug - Have you seen the series of books by James Colwill on ebay titled "The Automotive Mascot, A Design in Motion?" There are 3 volumes and you would love the history and photos. William William's book "Motoring Mascots of the World" is the bible of early auto mascots. I was able to interview him before he died. His book is out of print but sells periodically on ebay. I bought mine for $113 but it can sell for much higher.

  Lynne - Bonnie's hood ornament sells quite often on ebay, and though I haven't kept track of the price paid, I can help you do that if you are not familiar with ebay.

  Best wishes,
  Susan

• Doug,

  I have been looking for some information on my family’s history that came my way quite a number of years ago but it is buried in the attic somewhere so it may take a while to unearth. Bonnie probably was born in Clyde, Ohio since her parents and one sister are buried there. However, she grew up in Fremont, Ohio where her father had a small farm. The birth, death and marriage dates are all correct.

  Lynne

• Worked one night ,never returned to collect my pay in 1947 at the Fisher Body Co, Any chance to collect?