Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum News Release - Museum
Receives Artifact Belonging to Former Auburn Automobile Company Export
Manager, Robert Wiley
AUBURN CORD DUESENBERG MUSEUM
NEWS RELEASE - 12/4/2006
CONTACT: Gran Roberts,
For Immediate Release
Marketing Director
December 2006
(260) 925-1444 ext. 30
Museum Receives Artifact Belonging to Former Auburn Automobile Company
Export Manager, Robert Wiley
AUBURN - The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum has acquired a travel clock that
once belonged to Robert Wiley, former export manager of Auburn Automobile
Company. This item is very significant and not only ties into to Wiley's
personal history, but also to Auburn Automobile Company's global success.
Don Aiken, building supervisor for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum,
obtained the clock many years ago at Wiley's estate sale at the former Wiley
family residence on Morningstar Rd in Auburn. Wiley frequently traveled for
the company and would take this clock with him while doing business for the
company. Part of his duties as export manager was to set-up a dealership
network around the world to market Auburn Automobile Company automobiles.
The clock, still in working condition, is bound in leather with a gold trim
plate and was originally manufactured in Germany. On the face of the clock
are various locations around the world with their corresponding times. If
Wiley was in Paris, France and needed to call Tokyo, Japan then he would use
this clock to see what time it was in Tokyo to determine if business hours
had started for the day.
Museum marketing director, Gran Roberts, is thankful that that the clock
survived throughout the years, "Mr. Wiley helped establish dealers in all 48
states in the U.S. and in 101 foreign countries around the world. I am sure
he relied heavily on this clock to tell him what time it was abroad or at
home and helped him go about his daily business around the world. The impact
of Mr. Wiley's work is still being felt by the museum today. The Auburn
Automobile Company shut its doors more than 70 years ago and the work Mr.
Wiley was responsible for still generates business and visitors to the
museum from all over the world." The museum has many other items belonging
to Wiley that can be seen in his restored office located in the Export and
Domestic Sales Gallery located on the Level II of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg
Museum.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum exhibits over 120 classic, vintage,
antique and special interest cars in the 1930 art deco headquarters of the
former Auburn Automobile Company. The museum is open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It is accredited
by the American Association of Museums and listed as a National Historic
Landmark.
(PHOTO CAPTION - Don Aiken (left) donates Robert Wiley's travel clock to the
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. Sharon Fouke, museum registrar and program
support manager, (right) accepts the clock on behalf of the museum. The
clock was presented in the Export and Domestic Sales Gallery where Wiley's
restored office is located.)
Gran Roberts is available for follow up information, photo requests or
comment between the hours of 8am-5pm Mon-Fri and by appointment. You can
reach Gran at (260) 925-1444 ext. 30
Gran Roberts
Marketing Director
--------------------------------
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
1600 South Wayne Street
PO Box 271
Auburn, IN 46706
260-925-1444 x30 Office
260-925-6266 Fax
260-894-1209 Mobile
granr@acdmuseum.org
www.acdmuseum.org
