10 RV and Mobile Home industry dignitaries to be honoured in August
The selection committee of the RV/MH Hall of Fame, Elkhart Indiana, has announced the roster of inductees for the RV/MH Hall of Fame, Class of 2020.
Ten distinguished individuals will join the ranks of RV/MH Hall of Fame inductees at the annual Hall of Fame dinner in August.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame class of 2020 includes:
RV Inductees
- Garth W. Cane, RV Service Technician; Professor, Cobourg, ON, Canada
- Mark Beecher, RV Retail Finance, South Dakota
- David Fought, RV manufacturer, Indiana
- Jeff Pastore, RV Dealer, Ohio
- David Schutz, Supplier, Indiana
Manufactured Housing Inductees
- Steven P. Adler, Manufactured Home Community Owner/Operator, Florida
- Burt Dickman, Manufactured Home Communities, Indiana (Deceased)
- Ron Dunlap, Association Executive, Virginia
- George Porter, Manufactured Housing Resources, Delaware
- Jerry Ruggirello, Manufactured Home Community Owner/Operator, Michigan
RV Lifestyle Magazine and Canada’s RV Dealer News are proud to congratulate our Senior Tech Editor, Garth W. Cane, on his induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame.
Garth is a very accomplished and highly respected member of the Canadian RV industry, who has contributed to the growth of the RV community for more than 60 years, starting as an RV salesman at Hogan Leisure Industries RV Dealership, and progressing through a wide range of roles as an RV service technician, to become the first Professor in the RV Apprenticeship Program at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, and then to a long and highly acclaimed role as an RV tech expert in RV Lifestyle Magazine, as well as a host of the TV show RV Vacation Adventures, and a frequent presenter of RV seminars at rallies and RV shows throughout North America.
Garth has served as Chairman, Z240 Recreational Vehicle Technical Committees – Canadian Standards Association – (2012 – Present); Secretary of the Board, Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation (Dec 2006- present); Member, Automotive Journalist Association of Canada (2002 – present); member, Education Committee, Ontario Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (1991 – present); and Chairman, Electrical Section – Canadian Standards Association CSA RV Z240 (2004 – 2011).
Garth was honoured as the Ontario RV Dealers Association – Associate Member of the Year, 2015.
As an avid RV enthusiast, Garth served on the Board of Directors, Twin Seas Caravan Club (1971- 2012).
Garth’s tireless community service efforts include membership on the Promotion and Communications Team of the Cobourg Museum Foundation; Chairman, Cobourg Summer festival (1977 – 1978); Chairman, First Annual Marie Dressler Film Festival (1977); St. Peter’s Anglican Church Cobourg, Carilloner (1946 – 1965); and Cobourg Concert Band, Brass Section (1945 – 1964).
An accomplished athlete, Garth served as Chairman, Eastern Ontario, Canadian Ski Patrol (1953-1964), and President, Northumberland Forest Ski Club (1954 – 1959).
Garth is a former member of Kiwanis International.
In presenting Garth’s nomination for induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame, Norm Rosen, VP Special Projects and Editorial Director of Taylor Publishing Group, publishers of RV Lifestyle Magazine, RV Dealer News, and Vie en Plein Air, cited a number of Garth’s very important volunteer contributions for the good of the industry:
“Garth’s tireless efforts as a member of the CSA Z-240 RV standards committee, and his role as Secretary of the Board, Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation, have helped establish safe and realistic standards for the Canadian and international RV industries.”
“As a Professional Engineer, his role in the creation and teaching of Canada’s first RV Technician Apprenticeship Program at Mohawk College set the course for similar programs throughout the nation.”
“His wisdom and expertise has played a major role through his work on the Education Committee, Ontario Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (1991 – present).”
“Garth Cane has contributed tirelessly to the Canadian RV industry and the community for more than 65 years, as a sales associate, RV service tech, RV tech trainer, RV TV host, magazine tech editor, and RV seminar presenter at RV shows and rallies throughout North America.”
Garth was the first Professor to teach the RV Apprenticeship Program, at Mohawk College in Ontario. A Professional Engineer, he was highly instrumental in the creation of the RV Apprenticeship Program.”
“Garth has been semi-retired for 20 years, but he continues to serve as one of the finest ambassadors of the RV lifestyle.”
Norm Rosen’s nomination presentation included the following insights:
“Not only has Garth Cane contributed a lifetime of energy, expertise and enthusiasm to the RV industry, the RV community, and the community at large – in Canada and throughout North America, he is one of the finest gentlemen in the industry, and an outstanding role model for all of us.”
“As a member of the RV media for 46 years, I am proud to follow Garth around the RV shows as his “wingman”, and I consider myself to be the “junior tech expert” at RV Lifestyle Magazine and RV Dealer News… Garth is, of course, our “senior tech expert”.
“Garth is one of the few journalists in the RV industry to have a fan base that transcends the French and English Canadian RV audience – his columns, translated into French for our Vie en Plein Air magazine, are among the best-read articles in each issue.”
“Garth’s knowledge and expertise extends far beyond the RV environment. As a Canadian automotive journalist, I can tell you that Garth, as a senior member of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), is highly respected among the automotive industry – and through his technical articles that appear in our Power Boating Canada Magazine, Garth has made a long-term contribution to the Canadian boating enthusiast community.”
Garth’s nomination to the RV/MH Hall of Fame was supported by letters from three distinguished members of the Canadian RV industry:
Roger Faulkner, President of General Coach Canada, former President of the CRVA, and an RV/MH Hall of Fame inductee (2018); Eleonore Hamm, President, RV Dealers Association of Canada; and Andy Thomson Jr., Can-Am RV Centre, a key member of the Ontario RV Dealers Association (ORVDA).
Andy Thomson Jr. had the following comments in support of Garth’s nomination:
“As an RV dealer, I know that today’s RV customers are smart in many ways, but most lack even the basics of technical understanding. Then they get on the internet, where one in 10 posts might be correct. No wonder they are confused – and a confused person will rarely make the decision to purchase. At his many seminars and in his articles, Garth does a great job of cutting through that confusion, giving each person the confidence to try a lifestyle that most will find to be very rewarding.”
“Garth has no character flaw that I know of other than an inability to say no. When our Dealer Association (ORVDA) needed an instructor for our fledgling apprentice training program, Garth reorganized his life to teach the course, commuting more than 200 miles each day. When we needed a person for the CSA Technical Committee, Garth, a Professional Engineer, was our man. Every time we turned to Garth to take on a specialized task, we knew that of course he would help.”
“The nomination forms ask if the person is respected, accomplished, and honorable – Garth embodies all these qualities, and more. He has not only done right by all his business affiliates, he has done this since before most of us were born, and he certainly has contributed to the good of the industry and the community at large – far beyond any job expectations.”
Eleonore Hamm, President of RVDA of Canada, added the following insights:
“Mr. Garth W. Cane has been a pillar of the Canadian RV Industry for over 45 years. Initially trained as a professional engineer, Mr. Cane has been involved in apprenticeship and technical training, the maintenance of RV standards; as well as, consumer education. He was a sales rep and service consultant at Hogan Leisure Industries from 1971 to 1991, and a Professor at Mohawk College where he taught the RV Apprenticeship Program.”
“Currently, Mr. Cane is the chairman of the CSA Z240 Recreational Vehicle Technical Committee: the standards that are used to construct recreational vehicles sold in the Canadian marketplace.
CSA is working closely with RVIA to harmonize the Z240 and NFPA 1192 standards in order to make it easier for manufacturers on both sides of the border to be able comply with building codes required in both countries.”
“Mr. Cane also serves as a board member on the Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation (RVSEF). The RVSEF is dedicated to providing professional and objective RV education with a focus on consumer safety and lifestyle enhancement.”
“As Technical Editor for Canada’s RV Lifestyle magazine, Mr. Cane writes technical articles to assist RV owners in understanding the different systems in their RVs. He is a member of the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada and delivers seminars at many consumer RV Shows in Canada.”
Roger Faulkner, President of General Coach Canada, a former President of the Canadian RV Manufacturers Association (CRVA), and a member of the RV/MH Hall of Fame, added the following comments to Garth’s nomination:
“Mr. Cane has been an extremely visible and vital contributor to the Canadian RV Industry as an educator and training ambassador for over 40 years in a vast number and wide variety of roles.
“Currently, Garth serves as Chairman of the CSA Z240 RV Series Technical Committee as well as a valued member of the CSA Z241 Park Model Series Technical Committee. His vast experience and technical background cultivated over the past 40-plus years has been invaluable to assist in the development of Canadian RV Standards.”
“Due to his extensive contribution to the Canadian RV Industry, I hereby recommend Mr. Garth Cane as a candidate for the RV/MH Hall of Fame.”
