During the early 1940s several of Ford Motor Company's community relations activities focused on youth programs. In 1940, Edsel Ford announced the establishment of a nationwide competition to promote safe driving among 14-18 year old boys called the Ford Good Drivers League. The Ford Good Drivers League had two levels of competition: state and national. The state competition required teenage boys to write an essay on accident prevention and take a 25 mile daylight driving test. Winners of the state competition won $100 and a free trip to the national finals. The national competition evaluated boys on day and night driving; proficiency in parking, backing, and braking; and physical reactions during moments of stress. The national competition winner received a $5,000 scholarship. 60,000 boys participated in 1940 and increased to 170,000 participants in 1941. In 1942 Edsel Ford announced the suspension of the program due to America's entry into World War II. A second youth program Ford Motor Company sponsored was American Legion Baseball, which offered league play for boys under seventeen years of age. In 1943, Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealers began sponsoring American Legion Junior Baseball teams. Dealer participation ranged from providing trophies and banquets for local winners to financing the entire program as happened in Detroit, Michigan. By 1946, Ford dealers cosponsored 2,200 of 5,891 teams.
From the description of Community relations records series, 1940-1946. (The Henry Ford). WorldCat record id: 54109110
