Donald Osborne
Join McPherson College “Wheels of Change: How the Automobile Shaped Our Lives,” a six-week summer experience that explores the people, innovations, and art of the automotive industry. Next week’s session on Thursday, July 30 at noon CDT is the final session of the summer and is titled “Art for the People – How Harley Earl and automotive styling democratized beauty,” with special guest Donald Osborne, CEO of Automotive Valuation Services and CEO of Audrain Automobile Museum and Concours.
Every week millions of people tune in to learn more about classic cars on the CNBC Primetime show “Jay Leno’s Garage,” where Osborne co-hosts the recurring segments – “Assess & Caress with Donald Osborne” and “Behind the Bowtie.” He is the author of “Stile Transatlantico/Transatlantic Style: A Romance of Fins and Chrome,” is a classic car historian, consultant and writer specializing in postwar Italian sports cars. An Accredited Senior Appraiser (A.S.A.) member of the American Society of Appraisers, he works for clients on the acquisition, sale and valuation of classic vehicles and travels the world attending major events, rallies and auctions. His expertise is frequently shared with the readers of Sports Car Market, and he has written for The New York Times, BusinessWeek Online, the Wall Street Journal, Octane, Art & Antiques, Palm Springs Life, and Road & Track. In addition to his latest curatorial project with the Audrain Automobile Museum for ‘Styling the Future: A History of GM Design & Concept Cars’, he also curated the exhibition ‘Ferrari and Futurists- An Italian Look at Speed’ at Heather James Fine Art in Palm Desert, CA and an exhibition based on his book, entitled ‘Transatlantic Style: A Romance of Fins and Chrome,’ at the Blackhawk Museums in Danville, CA. A talented opera singer and stage performer, Donald is often requested to open and close leading classic car event ceremonies by singing the national anthem, as well as emcee throughout the course of the event.
Professor Ken Yohn, chair of McPherson College’s Department of History and Politics, serves as host and instructor for the webinar. For more than 20 years, Professor Yohn has taught courses on the social history of the automobile at McPherson College and has led student study trips to Europe and South America.
Each week on Zoom, Wheels Change will focus on fascinating topics from the advent of the automobile to its impact on war, globalization, and design. There is no cost for the series but space is limited and registration is required for each session. For more details about the series or to register go to https://www.mcpherson.edu/autorestoration/wheelsofchange/.