Bodyworx Professional 4#3

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Cover Story

Project of a Lifetime

By Erin McLaughlin

Fanshawe transportation technology students Garrett Kemp (left) Dustin Haycock and Mike Laframboise pose beside their own creation, a 1967 Ford Falcon.

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50th anniversary is big. London, Ontario’s Fanshawe College celebrated its 50th anniversary over the summer of 2017 with the debut of a refinished Fanshawe-themed 1967 Ford Falcon. The Falcon was transformed into a striking cherry red beauty, done lovingly by the school’s transportation technology students. It was completed with the help and support of the faculty and many sponsors, including BASF and 3M. The Falcon and Fanshawe College have a lot in common, making the car an obvious choice to represent the school. Introduced to the streets in 1967, the same year Fanshawe College opened its doors, the Falcon was built locally at the former St. Thomas Ford assembly plant. Even better, Fanshawe College’s school mascot is a falcon. It’s as though the two were meant to be together. Mike Kennelly, Program Coordinator for the Transportation Technology program, explained

Students restore Ford Falcon to celebrate Fanshawe’s

50th

anniversary

that the autobody branch of the program covers industry foundation, equips students for the workforce and trains apprenticeships to meet industry demands. “We have a brand-spanking new facility and work on new vehicles to train our students on repairing modern vehicles,” said Kennelly. “Working on a vehicle this old is unusual for our program. Nonetheless, the students are getting many real life experiences out of this project.” Students had about 11 months to complete the vehicle. It was a hard deadline to meet, given the amount of time and work the project required. As well, the Falcon had a dingy white paint job and needed quite a bit of work to be restored to its former glory. And so, project management, working under pressure, high customer expectations and working under strict deadlines were just some of these “real life” skills the students had the opportunity to develop. As well as the development of good work-

October 2017    bodyworx professional

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