Dez Miklos

Dez Miklós brief bio

I was born in Hungary on February 13th, 1945, a historical day, when the siege of Budapest ended as the “Glorious Red Army” liberated Budapest from the forces of Nazi Germany.

I grew up under the care of my Grandmother, because the economical conditions of Hungary after the war were lower than a frog’s behind thanks to the benevolent communist government.

Then came the revolution of 1956. We were able to escape into Austria on December 4th 1956.

By way of England, Scotland and Ireland we arrived in Toronto on Easter Sunday of 1957 at old Malton airport.

As immigrants the family lived in Cornwall, Brockville and finally Hamilton. During this time most of my jobs were in the hospitality industry.

I graduated from Westdale, then Ryerson Polytechnical of Toronto in the Hotel Restaurant field. 

Spent a year in Bermuda working in one of the hotels. Then I returned to Ontario.

Over the years I have managed several small hotels restaurants in Ontario and Quebec before going to the Eastern Arctic where my family and I operated The Frobisher Inn. 

While in the Arctic I was one of the founding fathers of the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce, Baffin Tourism Association. And of course I was charter member of the Frobisher Bay Rotary Club. After the lease of the hotel ended, I returned to the hospitality field in Ontario. 

In Ontario I was member of the Hamilton Rotary Club, Kirkland Lake and of course charter member of the Hamilton A.M. Club.

I have been married several times, first was a learning experience and ended in divorce. The second, my wife passed away from breast cancer. Third marriage is a wonderful journey. 

I became a driver trainer in the late 1990s as result of my parents’ illness and my wife’s cancer. I needed to be available at moments call to be able to take them to hospital or a doctor.

Driver training allowed me this luxury.

I did not like what I found in the teaching field of safe driving, thus I took it upon myself to improve it. It prompted me to write articles, teach safe driving, sell beginners driving curriculums both in English and French to driving school. Hosted my own a radio show “Say Dez!” at McMaster’s CFMU for 9 ½ years and one year on CHAM all about safe driving.

Over the years I have obtained all sorts of driving licenses and teaching certificates. Currently I work for Ontario Truck Driving School as an instructor for A-R, B, C, D, E & F licenses.

Now I am semi-retired and as I am getting older one of my passions was to pay more attention to seniors and associated driving problems. Thus the program is about it what I am going to present.