{"product_id":"timberland-the-story-of-william-perry-the-man-who-saved-the-life-of-henry-ford-9781038342416","title":"Timberland: The Story of William Perry: The Man Who Saved the Life of Henry Ford","description":"\"A man came up behind Henry Ford with an axe and was going to kill him. William Perry grabbed the axe out of the man's hands and then Mr Ford said, you have a job with me for life, and he did - until the day he died.\"\u003cbr\u003e Excerpt from the oral reminiscences of Irene Johnson, neighbour of William and Melinda Perry.\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Perry's friendship had a significant influence on Henry Ford and the hiring of African-Americans at the Ford Motor Company. In later years, Henry used the metaphor of having shared a cross cut saw with William Perry, to explain his belief that African-Americans and whites should work together in harmony, with \"The coloured man (sawing) at one end of the log and the white man at the other. \"\u003cbr\u003eThis is a story of William Perry's life and adventures before and after this historic encounter with Henry Ford.\u003cbr\u003eAlthough the story is fictionalized, the facts are true.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWalls, Allen E.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Allen E. Walls was born on February 10, 1948, in the small community of Puce in Maidstone Township, now known as the Town of Lakeshore, just outside of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was the youngest of ten children and attended a one-room elementary school for eight years, SS #9. He graduated from Essex District High School and then proceeded to George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, earning a diploma in carpentry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAllen worked as a journeyman carpenter for ten years and then enrolled at the University of Windsor. He continued to the University of Toronto, Faculty of Education. After thirty-two years as a secondary school teacher, he retired from the Greater Essex County Board of Education.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore he passed away, Allen lived on the farm of his grandparents, Henry and Parthena Perry Walls, with his wife, Connie, and their dog, Spyke, and cat, Spencer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author and his wife, Connie, have also published the children's book The Adventures of Spyke and Spencer, a book that teaches children important values and promotes positive messages like \"be a friend, not a bully,\" \"it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice\" and \"to have a friend, you have to be a friend.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe also co-authored, with high school vice-principal Christine Walls and retired high school teacher Winston Walls, a Teachers' Guide based on the book The Road That Led to Somewhere by Dr. Bryan Walls.","brand":"FriesenPress","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51764017463570,"sku":"9781038342416","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a337eac6-1324-4701-96bd-80c49de1715e.jpg?v=1764750202","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/timberland-the-story-of-william-perry-the-man-who-saved-the-life-of-henry-ford-9781038342416","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}