Alfred Ford
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Alfred Ford | |
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_Tirupati_31-01-2007.jpg) Alfred Ford at ISKCON temple, Tirupati, India, in 2007 | |
| Born | 1950 |
| Other names | Ambarish Das |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse | Sharmila Ford[1] |
| Children | Amrita and Anisha |
Alfred Brush Ford (born 1950), also known as Ambarish[2] Das, is an American heir to the Ford fortune. He is a great-grandson of legendary businessman Henry Ford — the founder of the Ford Motor Company.[1]
Background
Ford is the son of Walter B. Ford II, whose family were prominent in chemical manufacturing in the downriver area, south of Detroit.
His late mother, Josephine Clay Ford (1923–2005) was the daughter of Edsel Ford (1893–1943), who was the son of Henry Ford (1863–1947).[2] Thus both his father and mother were born with the last name of Ford. Alfred and William Clay Ford, Jr. (b. 1957) the current executive chairman of the Ford Motor Co., are first cousins. Alfred's mother was the sister of William Clay Ford, Sr. (1925–2014; William Ford, Jr.'s father).
He currently serves on the board of directors of privately held digital marketing firm ChannelNet, where he is also an investor. Ford Motor Company was one of ChannelNet's early clients.[citation needed]
Association with the Hare Krishna Movement
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He is an initiated disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada) since 1974. He first met Bhaktivedanta Swami in Dallas, USA.[3] Alfred Ford joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (the Hare Krishnas) in 1975 and that same year he made his first trip to India with Prabhupada. He assisted in the establishment of the first Hindu temple in Hawaii and also donated $500,000 to help establish the Bhaktivedanta Cultural Center in Detroit[4] which was completed in 1983.[1] Alfred Ford has made many significant donations to ISKCON over the years which have assisted ongoing projects to build the Pushpa Samadhi Mandir of Prabhupada. He is the chairman of the Sri Mayapur Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.[5]
Ford is said to have supported the construction of a Vedic cultural centre in Moscow at an estimated cost of $10 million.[6] He also bought a $600,000 mansion to house a Hare Krishna temple and learning centre in Honolulu.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Sangghvi, Malavika (March 6, 2005). "The Billionaire Bhakta". The Times Of India. Retrieved August 25, 2006.
- ^ a b "Alfred Ford is Building a Multi-Million Dollar Monument in India". Town & Country. November 23, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ Krebs, Albin (November 9, 1981). "Article in The New York Times". Retrieved August 25, 2006.
- ^ "Temple of Vedic Planeteriam - meet-the-team". Temple of Vedic Planeteriam. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ^ "Article in vnn.org". Retrieved August 25, 2006.