Looking Back

About the Book

Arthur W. Hoffmann looks back at a life well lived in this autobiography that celebrates his family, values, and engineering success. His parents, George and Amanda Theresa Hoffmann, were German immigrants who came to America seeking freedom, opportunity, and employment in the years following World War I. Desperate for work, they settled in Detroit, where the automobile industry offered some hope of successful employment. He recalls that those growing up in cities and neighborhoods in the 1940s had an ingrained value system and appreciation of the enormous progress that had occurred in a short timeframe. Those qualities helped the country reach new heights after the end of World War II. Hoffman got his big break in October 1955, when he was selected by General Motors’ Ternstedt Division to join its drafting school. After passing a test, he was hired, and after automobile safety became a national concern with the publication of Ralph Nader’s book, Unsafe at Any Speed, he become a leading automotive safety engineer and designer—and eventually an expert witness/consultant. But he also had to face numerous personal challenges, including his time in the army, multiple divorces, and being separated from his infant son from his first marriage—a son he would not reconnect with until decades later.

About the Author

Arthur W. Hoffmann, Ed.D., P.E., is an auto safety engineer who in 1967 designed and developed General Motor’s first crash-tested child safety seat; he also worked on its first rear-facing infant restraint system. He is engaged as an expert witness and consultant in legal product litigation venues and holds several patents. He lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with his wife, Carolyn, and four bearded collie sheepdogs.