National Parts Depot president Rick Schmidt (right) presents the Lee Iacocca Award to Bill Dillard.
Longtime Mustang Club of America devotee Bill Dillard was presented with the prestigious Lee Iacocca Award during a special presentation at the Mustang and Ford Roundup at Silver Springs on January 11.
Created so car clubs and shows can acknowledge car enthusiasts and their "passion for maintaining an American tradition," the award was especially fitting for Bill, a charter member of the MCA who has served many terms as a club officer, including several as president and board chairman. Mustang enthusiasts also remember Bill for taking over the chairmanship of the 35th Anniversary Mustang Show in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the untimely death of Jim Osborn.
This year, Bill is heading up the Open Track portion of the 45th Mustang Anniversary Celebration in Birmingham. Bill is already a member of the Mustang Hall of Fame.
The Lee Iacocca Award is presented by a number of clubs and car shows each year, including National Parts Depot’s Mustang and Ford Roundup. Created in 2006, proceeds from the award go to the Iacocca Foundation, which has provided more than $23 million to fund diabetes research. A former president of Ford Motor Company who spearheaded the development of the Mustang in the early ‘60s, Iacocca has dedicated his post-automotive life to finding a cure for diabetes. His wife, Mary, died from diabetes complications in 1983.