Ashley Beasley

Deep in the plant bearing the name “ERNEST HOLMES CO” in Chattanooga, before, during, and after World War II, one could find Ashley Beasley laboring over a drafting board.

He was the genius who took the great ideas and rough concepts and made the drawings from which the patterns, molds and castings were born. He made the ideas functional. He made many tools and pieces of equipment which were never marketed, but the successful units can be traced back to his skill, artistry, and ingenuity.

His career at Holmes began in 1937 at the age of 26 and continued until age 69. During that time as Design Engineer, he was the one person whom members of the engineering department, and even from sales and marketing, approached for answers. The draftsmen, design engineers, and promotion personnel were the backbone of manufacturing as the towing-recovery industry emerged. No one person made a greater contribution than did this distinguished gentleman.