On Thursday June 5, 2025, Society of Automotive Historians members Mary Seelhorst and Chris Lezotte traveled to Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, to attend a presentation given by Jennifer Eaglin PhD, the first SAH/Kettering Travel-to-Collections Grant recipient.
Dr. Eaglin, an associate professor of history at Ohio State University, used the grant to conduct further research for her current book manuscript, Auto Americas: An Hemispheric History of the Automobile. In this ambitious project, Eaglin moves beyond the United States to consider automobility as a collective experience throughout the Western Hemisphere. Her research questions include,
While United States automobility is centered primarily on cars, Eaglin’s more expansive approach changes the focus to more universal modes of transportation, particularly buses and trucks. Dr. Eaglin expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to work with the Kettering Archives and incorporated into her talk the resources she found most valuable.
It was an interesting and informative afternoon; Dr. Eaglin’s presentation was well received by the Kettering students, faculty, and staff—and SAH members—many of whom had questions and comments.
It is our hope that this continued SAH partnership with Kettering will provide additional automotive research opportunities for students, scholars, and historians for many years to come.
