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The man responsible for writing the first chapter of The IMA Story was J. Dallas Dort, founder of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, and a Flint civic leader. It was mainly through his efforts that the Associated Factories of Flint was established in 1901. He never would have imagined that his endeavor would lay the foundation for one of the most unique organizations of its kind in the world. No one took more interest in the life of the working man than J. Dallas Dort. He believed that the character of a city's development depended entirely on the way in which the city and its industries took responsibility for the health and welfare of its workers. Toward that goal, the Flint Vehicle Factories Mutual Benefit Association was formed. This new association provided insurance for employees of FIint's vehicle factories. Shortly thereafter, the Vehicle Workers Club, a very popular social branch of the organization was incorporated. In 1908, Associated Factories organized formally as the Manufacturers Association of Flint the same year General Motors was founded in Flint. In 1915, Charles Stewart Mott, a GM vice president, appointed an industrial committee with Walter P. Chrysler as its chairman. The committee called itself the Industrial Fellowship League. Many recreational and educational activities were offered to the workers through the IFL. The IFL opened an evening school for factory workers known as Auto Trade School (C. S. Harding Mott, son of Charles Stewart Mott, was a member of its record-breaking Buick Service class in 1926). The school later became the Flint Institute of Technology, which developed into General Motors Institute. In 1917, Potter Lake, a 400-acre resort with picnic areas, swimming beach, cottages, pavilion and lodge, was purchased to provide recreational activities for IFL members and their families. The Industrial Mutual Association of Flint was officially established on September 22, 1922 when the Flint Vehicle Factories Mutual Benefit Association and the Industrial Fellowship League merged. To support its various activities, the IMA managed cafeterias and vending operations in Flint's vibrant auto factories. The IMA began to flourish and leased five floors of the Industrial Savings Bank Building at the corner of Second Avenue and North Saginaw Street for its headquarters. In 1926, the IMA made its plans known to merge Flint Tech into General Motors Institute of Technology. In 1927, the Randall Lumber and Coal Company property in downtown Flint was purchased for construction of an auditorium. Completed in 1929, the IMA Auditorium provided seating for more than 6,000 people and offered diversified activities including lectures, dances, stage shows, exhibitions, sports events and concerts, The Auditorium held many great memories for people throughout the decades. Other IMA facilities included Athletic Park, a 3,000 seat athletic field adjacent to the Auditorium. In 1958, the park was used to build an annex to the Auditorium. In 1963 the IMA purchased Brookwood Golf Course, site of the 1965 Michigan Open Golf' Tournament. In 1969 the IMA opened the Sports Arena on Lapeer Road. It became the home of' the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League and attracted sellout crowds of more than 4,000 enthusiastic fans. Safetyville U.S.A., a miniature town with streets, sidewalks and buildings, taught traffic safety to elementary school children. It was turned over to the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission in 1978. In 1979, the Sports Arena was donated to the City of Flint, and continues to host a myriad of activities. Since 1998, the IMA Recreation Association has provided more than 37,000 children and adults in Genesee County with outstanding recreational opportunities and expert programming. The participation rate of children and adults has increased from 105 in 1998 to 7,112 in 2007. |