Ungaria il aniverseaza pe Jozsef Galamb

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of Jozsef Galamb's birth, the Hungarian National Bank has issued a memorial medal.

Hungarian-born Galamb participated in the design of the Ford Model T and later became first chief engineer of the U.S. automaker.

"Joe, I'd like to design a new car. Please prepare a few tools and bring along your blackboards," Henry Ford is said to have told the Hungarian draftsman in 1907. Galamb, together with a fellow Hungarian, Eugene Farkas, and Childe Harold Wills, managed to translate Henry's ideas into engineering reality and thus in 1908 the Ford Model T was born.

Later on, both Galamb and Farkas worked on the creation of the Fordson tractor. When the Ford Motor Company started distributing formal titles, Galamb became "chief engineer." In the 1920s, he assisted Edsel Ford in the design of the Model A, a replacement for the Model T.

But Galamb never forgot his Hungarian roots. He was born in 1881 in Mako, a small city in southeastern Hungary. While he worked abroad, Galamb assisted his family financially and visited his home country often. He retired after a 40-year career with Ford, died in 1955 and is buried in Detroit.

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