As Dean of the School of Automotive Marketing, Northwood Institute, Midland, Michigan, John Heflin has given his entire life to the building of good character in others’ lives.

A very distinguished career in education and specialized business is his. He began teaching in West Virginia in 1924 and from 1929-1941 he was headmaster of Green- briar Military School, Lewisburg, West Virginia. During World War II, he was at Chanute Field and also was Commandant of the Army Air Force Statistical School at Harvard. Through the ranks he came to the end of military service as Colonel, and many on whom he pinned promotions in the ranks are now or have been top automotive leaders.

John joined Ford Motor Company in 1947, managed Ford Merchandising School, was Director of Punt, Pass and Kick, and he supervised management personnel courses.

In 1964 at Northwood Institute, John started the Automotive Marketing Program on a two- or four-year basis. More than four hundred students are now registered for the 1972-1973 courses.

At Northwood Institute, he helped establish, through his influence with automobile dealers the National Automobile Dealers Association automotive educational building project, with the first building now occupied by automotive students. Other goals for which he can be credited: nine Northwood auto shows, Automotive Marketing textbooks, a speaker throughout the United States and Canada on automotive subjects timely for this era; for influence on bringing AOT (Automotive Organization Team, formerly Automotive Old Timers), a national organization for people of the industry, to Northwood Institute campus in Midland where they will now build a permanent building for their Automotive Hall of Fame.

A man of quiet but intriguing personality, interested in tomorrow’s automotive industry through youth.