Died 19 August 2001 | ||
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Betty Thatcher Oros (born Elizabeth Anna Thatcher, 18 April 1917, Elyria, Ohio - 19 August 2001) was an American automobile designer. Betty Thatcher Oros graduated from Elyria High School in 1935. She attended the Cleveland School of Arts, today’s Cleveland Institute of Art. Majored in Industrial Design, graduating with honors. Hudson Motor Company, wanting a woman to contribute a female point of view to automotive design, hired Oros as the first female American automotive designer in 1939.
Oros' contributions to the 1941 Hudson included exterior trim with side lighting, interior instrument panel, interiors and interior trim fabrics.
Oros designed for Hudson Motor Co. from 1939 into 1941, when she and Joe Oros were married. As Joe Oros was working in the Cadillac Studio at GM, Betty resigned from Hudson to avoid a conflict of interest. Together the Oroses had five children, Joe III, Christina, Janet, Mary, and John. She later served on the Santa Barbara Museum Board and Symphony League Board. Betty Thatcher Oros died on 19 August 2001.