About Ken

Ken Sargeant is a retired high school administrator with 40 years of service in the public school system who has a passion for trains.

Ken’s father William (Bill) Sargeant was a locomotive engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway and that was his introduction to trains. He was given a Lionel model train under the Christmas tree when he was a youngster and that was the introduction to model trains. He has ridden in many of the cabs of steam engines as well as first generation diesels with his father. Ken states “Dad took me to work with him on several occasions”. 

Ken attended Fisher Park High School in Ottawa, Canada. He was a classmate of Paul Anka the Canadian singer and composer. “I see Paul when he performs in South Florida” says Ken. “He is just as nice now as he was when a student at Fisher Park” states Ken. 

Bill Sargeant retired from the CPR in 1958 and the whole family moved to Hollywood, Florida.   Ken attended and graduated from South Broward High School in 1959. While at South Broward he participated in football and track & field. He was Broward County Pole Vault Champion in 1959. He also competed in the first Florida State Decathlon. 

Off to Pratt Junior College, Pratt, Kansas on a football, track & field scholarship. Ken played two years of football and two years of track & field earning NJCAA All-America pole vault honors in 1962. Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas was his next stop. As a Moundbuilder Ken participated in football and track & field holding the school records in the pole vault, long jump and triple jump. He graduated in 1964 with a BA in Education.

He taught and coached at Satanta High School, and Cheney High School in Kansas. 

Because he had sand in his shoes it was back to Florida. He was head track coach and assistant football coach at South Broward, Hollywood, Florida. Nova High School in Davie, where Ken was head football coach. He served as Athletic Director and head football coach at Fort Lauderdale College. Fort Lauderdale College was the first college football program in Broward County. The Seagulls finished first in the National Collegiate Football Association Independent Conference Division in the 1978-1979 season. 

Ken received his Master of Arts in Administration from Nova University in 1986. He went into high school administration and started the first train clubs at South Area Alternative School, Seminole Middle School, and at South Plantation High School. With the help of many during a period of five years he ran twenty train shows at South Plantation. 

Ken served as President of the Southern Division of the Train Collectors Association of America (TCA), he is also a member of Toy Train Operation Society (TTOS), Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA), & National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). He supports the different groups because he feels they contribute to the toy train hobby and they have focused on Kids and Trains. Ken quotes, “Kids are the lifeline of our toy train hobby”. 

He has run the Handicapped Kids Day at the Broward County Fair for over 25 years. He ran the first ever Special Olympics in Broward County at South Broward High School. He has served as President of the Hollywood, Jaycees, President of the Hollywood Optimist Club, President of the Youth Affairs Board, City of Hollywood, and served on the board of directors of Parents for a  Drug Free Youth. 

Ken is certified to teach Operation Lifesaver throughout the United States. Ken has presented the OLI programs to students at various Elementary Schools and children at the Boca Express Train Museum. As you see Ken is very involved in athletics, trains, schools and kids.