George Hensel 1924 – 2012
It is with sincere regret that we must announce the passing of an icon of the driving school industry, and a credit to the California driving school industry in particular, as he was one of our very own. George R. Hensel passed on January 9th of 2012. I wonder if he choose the opening of the Detroit Auto show as a day to pass on? The Automobile and George have been united for many years.
For those who may not know who George R. Hensel was and what he contributed to the industry, here are some highlights of his history and accomplishments. George was born March 20th, 1924 in Los Angeles California, raised in East LA and was a World War II Veteran serving from 1942-50 with the US Merchant Marine. He officially retired in 2006 at the age of 82 in declining health but made every effort to remain vital and engaged through his last years. His last gift to us was his incredible biography of his life titled "MY LIFE" a great and inspiring read about one man's journey through his life. The story is truly interesting and fascinating, to say the least.
George was married three times Dorothy, Catherine and finally Bernadette. he had six children and had 20 grandchildren and 30 great grand children and 10 great great grand children. He was educated in East Los Angeles and got a BA degree from Woodbury University in Business Administration. He went on to do special courses at USC in Public Administration and ended with an Honorary doctorate in Business Administration from Woodbury. His business preparation would serve him well once he entered the driving school industry. He founded California Driving School, which grew to become one of the largest and greatest driving schools in the world. He owned and operated it from 1953-2007. He was President also of the California Safety Center and Hensel Investments.
Through the years he held other director positions with Banks, Publishing companies and travel services, but that was not enough for George, he also had a very active public service and community involvement career. The saying give a busy man something to do and he will find the time, clearly applied to George, in no small way. He was directly involved with the establishment and co founding of both what became the California Driving School Association and also the Driving School Association of Americas, serving as President and also other positions over many years of service and was a constant power and presence in both for most of his life, participating generously with his time, wealth and wealth of knowledge for over four decades.
His community and public service efforts locally and throughout the nation were truly extensive. He served on the boards of Hospitals, Universities public agencies, Rotary club and Toastmasters. He was the recipient of awards and Honors by government and private industry from LA to London to Japan and almost every place in between.
So in the end, what is the measure of a man, it is not what he accumulates, but what he does with it and gives back to his community and humanity. George will be remembered for having contributed in his way to improving more than just traffic safety. In his own words and I quote " I got thinking, I hear people say, we just finished an election, "What's one vote? One vote doesn't count. What's a ten dollar donation? It doesn't count" But you know, one vote does count, And you know a ten-dollar donation cumulatively counts. And you know, one person, one person cumulatively can make a big difference, And you're that one person! Yes George you are that one person, you did make a difference, congratulations on a life of accomplishments.
Sincerely,
Robert Stahl, President DSAC
In loving memory of George Hensel
Update: Monday January 16, 2012:
DSAC President Robert Stahl is currently attending the funeral service of George Hensel. His photographs of the service are below:
