Albert Luce
Encyclopedia
Albert L. Luce was an American industrialist. He is best known for founding the Blue Bird Body Company, a bus and recreational vehicle
manufacturer now known as Blue-Bird Corporation which is now one of three major large (full-sized) school bus
manufacturers in North America.
franchise
d dealer in Fort Valley
and Perry, Georgia
. In response to a request from one of his customers, in 1927 Luce and his dealership designed and built a bus body with structural enhancements over those generally on the market at that time, notably angle iron
roof bows and all-metal construction (except for a canvas roof). At the time, most school bus bodies built in North America contained a lot of woodwork in their construction, and the advantages of steel were still being explored by various manufacturers.
With two brothers, he founded the bus manufacturing company, later joined by his son, Albert L. Luce Jr. At the time, there was a trend in education away from one-room school
s to larger consolidated schools which required transportation of pupils greater distances than in the past. The Great Depression
was negatively impacting car and truck sales at his Ford dealerships, so he sold them to concentrate on bus manufacturing. The Blue Bird trade name was adopted from the color of a demonstrator bus in 1932.
Luce's company joined other small and large manufacturers in the industry in primarily building bodies for installation upon cowl-type truck chassis built by large companies such as International Harvester, General Motors, and Ford. These units are called "conventional" (or type "C") models in industry terminology, and have front end sheet metal such as hoods and fenders made by the truck companies. Visibility of children crossing in front of these models has always been a concern for those operating school buses.
After World War II
, Albert L Luce led his business in a new direction by purchasing a different type of chassis he saw at a show in Paris, France, one which would accommodate a virtually vertical ("flat") front end. Returning to Georgia, he put his engineers to work, and in 1952, introduced the Blue Bird All-American, generally considered the first successful "transit-style" school bus to be mass produced for school districts and contractors. This design is now known as type "D" within the industry.
Luce further diversified his products by offering small transit buses, and using All-American engineering to produce the Wanderlodge, a premium motor home.
Although the younger generation of the Luce family had taken over leadership by the 1970s, the school bus manufacturing industry saw a consolidation in the 1980s, and six major full-size school bus manufacturers saw their ranks reduced to only three, as Superior Coach Company
, Wayne Corporation
, and Carpenter Body Works became fallen flags.
In the 1980s, the Luce family retired from the bus and recreational vehicle business, and sold their interest to investors. The company currently is considered in third place volume-wise among the surviving manufacturers.
(founder of today's Thomas Built Buses, Inc., David H. Ward, founder of Ward Body Company, and Dr. Frank W. Cyr
, an educator who is widely considered the Father of the Yellow School Bus
for his work to develop and standardize safety standards across the country, beginning in 1939.
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
manufacturer now known as Blue-Bird Corporation which is now one of three major large (full-sized) school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
manufacturers in North America.
Biography
Albert L. Luce was a Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
d dealer in Fort Valley
Fort Valley, Georgia
Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,815.Fort Valley is the corporate headquarters of the Blue Bird Corporation, a large manufacturer of buses...
and Perry, Georgia
Perry, Georgia
Perry is a city in Houston county in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Warner Robins, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,600 at the 2000 census. This town is the county seat of Houston County...
. In response to a request from one of his customers, in 1927 Luce and his dealership designed and built a bus body with structural enhancements over those generally on the market at that time, notably angle iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
roof bows and all-metal construction (except for a canvas roof). At the time, most school bus bodies built in North America contained a lot of woodwork in their construction, and the advantages of steel were still being explored by various manufacturers.
With two brothers, he founded the bus manufacturing company, later joined by his son, Albert L. Luce Jr. At the time, there was a trend in education away from one-room school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
s to larger consolidated schools which required transportation of pupils greater distances than in the past. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
was negatively impacting car and truck sales at his Ford dealerships, so he sold them to concentrate on bus manufacturing. The Blue Bird trade name was adopted from the color of a demonstrator bus in 1932.
Luce's company joined other small and large manufacturers in the industry in primarily building bodies for installation upon cowl-type truck chassis built by large companies such as International Harvester, General Motors, and Ford. These units are called "conventional" (or type "C") models in industry terminology, and have front end sheet metal such as hoods and fenders made by the truck companies. Visibility of children crossing in front of these models has always been a concern for those operating school buses.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Albert L Luce led his business in a new direction by purchasing a different type of chassis he saw at a show in Paris, France, one which would accommodate a virtually vertical ("flat") front end. Returning to Georgia, he put his engineers to work, and in 1952, introduced the Blue Bird All-American, generally considered the first successful "transit-style" school bus to be mass produced for school districts and contractors. This design is now known as type "D" within the industry.
Luce further diversified his products by offering small transit buses, and using All-American engineering to produce the Wanderlodge, a premium motor home.
Although the younger generation of the Luce family had taken over leadership by the 1970s, the school bus manufacturing industry saw a consolidation in the 1980s, and six major full-size school bus manufacturers saw their ranks reduced to only three, as Superior Coach Company
Superior Coach Company
Superior Coach was once a school bus body and professional car manufacturer, but today it focuses on building hearses and is located in Lima in Allen County, Ohio.-History:-Garford Motor Truck Company:...
, Wayne Corporation
Wayne Corporation
Wayne Corporation was a large manufacturer of buses and other vehicles branded with the trade name "Wayne." The corporate headquarters were in Richmond, Indiana, in Wayne County, Indiana, in the United States...
, and Carpenter Body Works became fallen flags.
In the 1980s, the Luce family retired from the bus and recreational vehicle business, and sold their interest to investors. The company currently is considered in third place volume-wise among the surviving manufacturers.
Pioneers of the yellow school bus industry
Mr. Luce joins other early school bus industry pioneers such as Perley A. ThomasPerley A. Thomas
Perley A. Thomas was a Canadian-born American industrialist and entrepreneur. He was trained as a millsmith , and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was employed by a streetcar manufacturer....
(founder of today's Thomas Built Buses, Inc., David H. Ward, founder of Ward Body Company, and Dr. Frank W. Cyr
Frank W. Cyr
Frank W. Cyr, Ph.D. was an American educator and author known especially for his contribution to school busing....
, an educator who is widely considered the Father of the Yellow School Bus
School bus yellow
School bus yellow is a color which was especially formulated for use on School buses in North America in 1939. The color is now officially known in Canada and the U.S. as National School Bus Glossy Yellow and was originally called National School Bus Chrome. The pigment used for this color was, for...
for his work to develop and standardize safety standards across the country, beginning in 1939.