Clifford W. Norton Jr.

I was Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1984 I moved to Santa Rosa with my family. I was hired by SRJC In 1991 as an Adjunct Faculty Automotive Instructor to teach the Brake/Chassis class. In 1992 I began teaching the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Clean Air Car Course, and I have been teaching primarily Emission, Electrical, Fuel, Driveability and Alternative Fuel/Hybrid Electrical Vehicle classes since then.

I have been in the Automotive business my entire working life, beginning at a service station in Minneapolis, where I worked until I entered the U.S. Army in 1968. After discharge in 1971, I was back at the same service station until 1973 at which time I began working at a Chevrolet dealership in Wayzata, MN (an interesting side note is that the dealership owner's sister was named Betty Bloomer; she would later become First Lady Betty Ford). In 1974 I began substitute teaching at a magnificent brand-new trade technical school.
In 1975 I began working full time as an Auto Instructor at Hennepin Technical Institute. This position lasted until my wife and I bought a small independent auto repair shop named Galaxy Auto Center; we added a second Galaxy Auto Center two years later, but working on the cars in subzero cold finally convinced me that a move to California was prudent.

After selling the two businesses, we packed up and moved to Santa Rosa to be close to a group of my beautiful wife's family who had settled all around the Bay Area. Upon arrival I found employment at a local car dealership, where I remained until the present time.

My background in auto repair in Minnesota was heavily involved with domestic car lines (in the 1960s and 1970s there just weren't many imports around yet), but in California my day-to-day repair work has been largely in imported vehicle car lines. I have also seen, and taught through, large transitions in the auto industry, one example of which is a switch from mechanically controlled systems to computer controlled systems. These transitions continue today -- witness hybrid and fuel cell powered vehicles -- and I am as excited about new technologies and cars now as I was as that teenage boy in 1966.

Update: May of 2009...I am very pleased to add to this biography that I have been hired as a full time faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College. I will be starting in the Fall Semester of 2009 as an Alternative Fuels/Automotive Technology instructor. My course load will most likely switch to days, and will likely include alternative fuels, engine performance and automotive electrical courses. Take a look at my schedule elsewhere in this homepage for the latest.

Update: January 2011...I have settled into my full time instructional role at the college, and I am coordinator for the Automotive and the Alternative Fuels programs. The budget presents significant obstacles, but we are doing well and classes are all overfull. There are many people who wish to become technicians in the Automotive/Alternative Fuel field.

Update: July 2013...I was elected as the department chair of the Industrial & Trade Technology department. This will consist of representing and guiding the department and its four programs: Welding, Machine Tool, Diesel Technology, and Automotive Technology.

Update: May 2019...I have retired as a full time instructor at SRJC.  I will need to stop teaching for 180 days before I am eligible to return as a part time instructor.  This down time is mandated by the CA State Teacher's Retirement System.

Update: January 2020...I have resumed teaching at SRJC as an adjunct (part time) instructor.  I am currently teaching the Intro to Hybrid Vehicles class.

March 2020...Covid-19!!!