How did the Ford Thunderbird get its name?

Answer 1

There was a contest to name the car somewhere in the 50's to mid 50's. Mom said she was about 7yrs or 8yrs old. My great grandmother Joe Lee Thomas (having a Indian / Afro American heritage ) thought up name name Thunderbird and submitted it. The winner was to receive a cash award of more that $500.(The exact amount I'm not sure.) The name she chose had won. Unfortunately, back in those days it may have been an image issue for it to be known a Black female had given this car the winning name. Not to be completely slighted, an award was given to her. It was not the award that was expected but a compensation all the same. At the tune of 500 bitties it was. Baby chickens that is! They had to be kept inside for a bit as it was cold and a facility had to be made to accommodate them. In the mean time ,Muh as she was called, (short for mother I believe) kept them warm inside in front of a warm stove. Mom says she can still hear the chirping in her head as she thinks back to this time . Needless to say , the credit and money went else where. Due to the fact that this is well known Verbal History for this area, the details may vary from family to family depending on which generation you ask but the facts are all remain the same.