Ed Farrell of Dudley Automotive Services in Arlington Helps Minuteman High School Automotive Students

Photo shows Ed Farrell, center, being honored at Minuteman High School on October 14, 2015. With him are Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Minuteman Superintendent Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon.

By Judy Bass

What makes a community? That is a question that Ed Farrell has no difficulty answering.

Farrell, an automotive expert who has been in the industry since 1979 and owns Dudley Automotive Services in Arlington, says having qualified professionals nearby whom residents can turn to when they need an item repaired or replaced in their home or vehicle is essential.

“If your community has no plumbers, electricians, or mechanics,” said Farrell, “that town suffers. If you don’t have a school like Minuteman High School, where are you going to get your car fixed or get someone to work on your home? What makes a community is having people to service all the things you need to get done.”

That is why Farrell is associated with Minuteman, in Lexington, where he is Chairman of the advisory committee for the school’s post-graduate Automotive program. The Chapter 74-approved career programs of vocational-technical schools like Minuteman are required to have a panel of professionals active in each technical field that is taught - along with others such as parents, students, and education experts - providing guidance on issues like curriculum, relevant industry trends and state-of-the-art equipment.

Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that provides students with a high-quality career and technical education, coupled with a thorough grounding in mathematics, English, science, and social studies. Students can select from more than one dozen career and technical education programs and a challenging academic curriculum, including Advanced Placement courses. Typically, more than 60 per cent of the school’s graduates pursue college or advanced technical training.

For 17 years, Farrell has so generously and enthusiastically shared his expertise with Minuteman Automotive Instructor John Primpas and his students that the school honored him (as well as several other outstanding members of Minuteman’s advisory committees) in October.

Farrell became involved with Minuteman when he was on an evaluation team that rated the school’s Automotive program for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), an organization which ensures that professionals and programs meet specific industry standards. Farrell and his colleagues performed “a very comprehensive evaluation of the curriculum and facilities” and Minuteman’s Automotive program received NATEF (National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation) certification. NATEF is an arm of ASE which certifies automotive training programs to ensure that they comply with the highest standards of quality. Their certification, according to Farrell, “holds a lot of weight in the industry.”

After Farrell got acquainted with the people at Minuteman, he wanted to donate his time during the school year to help keep the Automotive curriculum focused on the latest industry trends, review the state-of-the-art tools and equipment being used to teach students, and help to make sure students are proficient in all key areas. He also acts as a resource for John Primpas - answering his questions, giving advice on which equipment and tools to purchase, and providing approaches to complex automotive diagnostic problems.

Farrell clearly feels strongly about the value of superb training, and the importance of paying forward what he has learned over the years to cultivate the next generation of exceptional automotive professionals. He praised the relationship between Minuteman and Middlesex Community College which allows students trained in the automotive field at Minuteman to take additional courses at Middlesex to earn an associate’s degree in Automotive Technology.

“Education is very expensive,” he said, “but not being educated is even more expensive. I’ve made a career and a good living in my field. I want other people to have that experience. I’m excited about getting people interested in this business.”