2017 Update
Frank Duffin (HDP '68, MMP '67), retired; former member of SAIT's Board of Governors
"In 2001, I was a Ford dealer with two dealerships: Crowfoot Ford and Cochrane Ford. I sold them lock, stock and barrel in 2011. I decided it was time to let someone else do it. I really enjoyed being a mechanic. I enjoyed being a General Motors rep. I enjoyed being a dealer, too, but there is a time for everyone. Some people work until they die, but I don't think that's healthy. I travelled a lot when I was working and I still travel a lot now. I've been to 65 countries around the world and all the continents, including Antarctica last year.
My wife and I think that travel is education. Reading and seeing things on TV is okay, but the real education is being there. When we went to Africa, we drove from Zimbabwe to Tanzania to Namibia to Botswana by ourselves. When the curtain went up in Eastern Europe in 2004, I took my wife to Vienna and we rented a car and drove. We went to Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia ... no reservations, just a map and a car.
The community has been good to me. That's why I get involved. And the industry has been good to me, too. I was with the Calgary Motor Vehicle Association and the Alberta Motor Vehicle Association. I was also on the Alberta Apprenticeship Board and the SAIT Board of Governors. I spent about 15 years on the industry side of things and 25 with the Calgary Stampede on the Exhibits Committee."
After dropping out of school in the 10th Grade, Frank Duffin went to work washing cars for Jack Carter in Calgary in 1962. A few years later, he enrolled in SAIT and earned his journeyman's papers. The ensuing years included getting married, attending the University of British Columbia as a mature student and the arrival of two daughters. He spent years as a service rep for General Motors before teaming up with Jack Carter once again, this time as partners in a dealership in Olds. Frank went on to own two dealerships, Crowfoot Ford and Cochrane Ford. He sold them in 2011. Now he spends his time travelling the world with his wife, skiing, boating, devoting time to astronomy and enjoying time with his family.