Founder of Ypsilanti auto museum dies

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Week of Thursday, January 16, 2003

Founder of = Ypsilanti
auto museum dies

By JUDY=20 BUSACK
Courier Staff

A generous man by everyone=92s account, Paul W. = "Skip"=20 Ungrodt Jr. died Sunday at the age of 72 after a long battle with=20 cancer.

Mr. Ungrodt was born May 19, 1930, in Ypsilanti = and=20 always considered the community his home.

"He always promoted his community, which he = still figured=20 was Ypsilanti," said Jack Miller, curator of the Ypsilanti = Automotive=20 Heritage Collection, which was Mr. Ungrodt=92s idea to = establish.

"He (Mr. Ungrodt) had a conversation with = (Ypsilanti=20 businessman) Peter (Fletcher) one day, and Peter called me and = said Skip=20 had an idea for a museum. Do you want to meet us for lunch," said = Miller.=20 "He was thinking about Ypsilanti=92s auto history. It took about a = month and=20 a half to have it up and running. He had the idea and said let=92s = move on=20 it. The same day we had lunch we went after the building and he = said make=20 the best deal you can."

Mr. Ungrodt attended Ypsilanti High School, = graduating in=20 1948. He graduated from Albion College in 1952 with a degree in = sociology=20 and business administration.

The Albion College News stated, "Ungrodt = has been=20 one of the college=92s greatest cheerleaders and = philanthropists."

Mr. Ungrodt donated a new indoor tennis = facility at the=20 college in 1999. It is named the Ungrodt Tennis Center.

"Skip was simply remarkable in his devotion to = his alma=20 mater," said Albion College President Peter Mitchell. "He had more = enthusiasm and conviction than anyone I know, and everyone he knew = had=20 great affection for Skip. Albion the institution will miss him, = and I=92ll=20 miss him as a great friend."

Mr. Ungrodt was chairman and president of = Ideation Inc.,=20 a national gift supply company based in Ann Arbor and the owner of = several=20 gift stores.

"His business was really, really important to = him," said=20 his son, Tom. "He was a good dad; he balanced his time with his = family. He=20 was really a good, sharing father and very helpful. He was there = when we=20 needed and wanted to be with him."

Tom Ungrodt said he believes that his = father=92s community=20 involvement is because of Mr. Ungrodt=92s father who was the = president of=20 the Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce for more than 30 years.

"He (his grandfather) was very involved in the = community=20 for many, many years. They lived in the same house for 54 years. I = suppose=20 that is where some of that (community involvement) came from for = my=20 father. He loved to go out and build things and see what he could = do to=20 help people ... He was always very generous with people and=20 organizations."

Mr. Ungrodt recently received the Chuck Yancy = Lifetime=20 Achievement Award from the American Foundation for AIDS Research, = and he=20 was appointed by Gov. John Engler to the Michigan Travel = Commission, and=20 he spearheaded the successful multimillion-dollar capital campaign = for the=20 Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea.

At the time of his death, Mr. Ungrodt also = served on the=20 boards of the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Ann = Arbor=20 Downtown Development Authority and was chairman of the Ypsilanti=20 Automotive Heritage Collection.

"He was the eternal optimist. You couldn=92t = say no to him,=20 and he never said =91no=92 to Albion," said Mitchell. "We=92ve all = lost a kind,=20 thoughtful, caring person who simply wanted people to enjoy life = as he=20 did. He was the consummate friend, buddy, pal, and he embodied the = best=20 virtues of friendship, truth and loyalty and goodness."

Miller concurred: "Years down the road, he will = still be=20 missed, because when he got involved with something he made it go, = not=20 only because of his personality and his demeanor, but because of = his=20 financial resources too. Three or four years ago when he was first = diagnosed, I would tell people, we have a hard time keeping up = with=20 him."

Mr. Ungrodt was past president of the Gift = Association of=20 America and the Michigan Gift Association, as well as the State = Street=20 Business Association and the Washburn Historical Museum Inc. in = Washburn,=20 Wisc. He served on the boards of the Ann Arbor Chamber of = Commerce, the=20 Ann Arbor United Way, the Chicago Gift Show, the Michigan = Retailers=20 Association, the Bank of Ann Arbor and St. Joseph Mercy = Hospital.

Peter Fletcher, president of the Ypsilanti = Credit Bureau,=20 said Mr. Ungrodt was a lifelong friend.

"He was one of those wonderful examples (of = somebody) who=20 never forgot where his hometown was. He always appreciated what = the=20 community did for him and he wanted to return it," said = Fletcher.

Fletcher said he considered Mr. Ungrodt a = valuable=20 mentor.

"He was the first person to train me in my = credit bureau=20 work when I was 11 and he was 13. He was a decent and kind person = then and=20 always remained that way," said Fletcher.

Mr. Ungrodt was inducted into Albion = College=92s Athletic=20 Hall of Fame five years ago and was honored with the college=92s = Lifetime=20 Achievement Award.

In addition to Ideation, which he founded in = 1968 and=20 which now supplies 650 gift stores across the country, Mr. Ungrodt = co-owned with his brothers a hardware store in Wasburn, which had = been=20 started by his grandfather.

"He was such an innovator and catalyst and = motivator.=20 There aren=92t that many Skip Ungrodts around. We must cherish = them when=20 they are in our midst and honor them when they are gone," said=20 Fletcher.

Mr. Ungrodt was preceded in death by his wife = Charlotte=20 Darvay Ungrodt in 1990, who was a 1952 graduate of Albion = College.

Survivors include three children, Tom and his = wife,=20 Diane, and their two sons; his daughter, Susan Mills of Plymouth = and her=20 husband, Jim, and their three daughters, and Sara Eichhorn of = Colorado and=20 her husband, Jeff, and their two daughters.

Also surviving are brothers Robert and = Bernard.

Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Jan. 27 at = Stark=20 Funeral Home, 101 S. Washington, with a memorial service to be = held at=20 noon Jan. 28 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 201 N. River Street. A = reception=20 at the Washtenaw Country Club, 2955 Packard, will follow the = memorial=20 service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made = to the Paul=20 W. Ungrodt Endowment at Albion College, Albion College, 611 E. = Porter St.,=20 Albion, 49224 (Checks should be made payable to Albion College = with=20 "Ungrodt Endowment" in the memo line); Purple Rose Theater = Company, 137=20 Park St., Chelsea, 48118; Washburn Historical Museum; 1 E. = Bayfield St.,=20 Washburn, WI 54891, or the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage = Collection,=20 110-112 E. Cross, Ypsilanti, 48198.

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