August 24, 2011 - Esther Gordy Edwards, founder of the Motown Museum, died.
GM – FBF – Today’s American Champion was an entrepreneur and founder of the Motown Museum. She was born April 25, 1920 in Oconee County, Georgia but raised in Detroit, Michigan.
She attended Wayne State University and Howard University prior to forming the Gordy Printing Company with two of her brothers in the mid-1940s. After her brother Berry started Motown Records, she served in various management positions up to vice president and chief executive officer of the company from the mid-1960s to 1988.
She also was the first woman to serve on the boards of Bank of the Commonwealth in 1972 and the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce in 1973. In 1985, Edwards founded and became director of the Motown Historical Museum, a position she held until just prior to her death. Enjoy!
Remember – “Motown was a “Brand†the only of its kind, so it was only fitting to preserve its history as a museumâ€. -Ester Gordy Edwards
Today in our History – August 24, 2011 - Esther Gordy Edwards, entrepreneur and founder of the Motown Museum, died.
As the sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy, Esther Gordy Edwards was an integral part of Motown Records from the very beginning. Born in Onconee, Georgia on April 25, 1920, Esther and her family later moved to Detroit where she attended Cass Technical High School. She later attended both Howard University and the University of Michigan.
In 1951 she married Michigan State Representative George Edwards. She originally worked with her two brothers, George and Fuller, at their printing company from 1947 until 1959. In 1960 she began to work part time for Berry’s Motown Records. In this same year she also became the chairman of the Recorder Court Jury Commission.
Edwards began working for Motown full time in 1962. She had many different jobs, which spanned from accounting to the director of the Artists Personal Management Division. It was in this position that she was able to help polish public images and guide careers of artists such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Mary Wells, The Miracles, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and more.
Edwards later became the Manager of Motown Record Corporation’s overseas venues. In 1972, when Motown moved to Los Angeles, California, Edwards elected to stay in Detroit. It was here that she not only continued to work for the company but also ran the Gordy Foundation, which provides scholarship to the youth of Detroit.
Throughout her days working at Motown Records, Gordy Edwards kept and saved memorabilia. In 1985 she opened the Motown Historical Museum. It is located where the original Motown Records was.
In addition to Edwards work with Motown, she was also the first woman elected as a board member of the Detroit Bank of the Commonwealth in the mid 1970’s. She was also the first woman elected to the board of the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce in 1973.
Finally, she chaired the board of the development company that built Trappers Alley in the Detroit Greektown area in the 1980s. Additionally, Edwards was a trustee at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a member of the historic Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and a board member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change.
Esther Gordy Edwards passed away on August 24, 2011 in Detroit. She was 91 years old. Research more about this great American Champion and share with your babies. Make it a champion day!