Duffy Livingstone, along with friend and business partner Roy Desbrow, created the first go-cart in the 1950s. He said he got the idea for the vehicle from four wheels and some tubing he saw at a friend’s house.FACT FILE
* Born in 1925 in Illinois.* He has two children, his wife Deedee has three. They have three grandkids.* They live with Deedee’s son, Steve, and his wife, Jackie, in Ooltewah.* He worked at a model shop as a teenager, for 75 cents a week.
Duffy Livingstone is the godfather of the go-kart.
He is also a father, grandfather, husband, veteran and friend of animals. He and his wife, Deedee, live in Ooltewah with her son and daughter-in-law and four dogs.
Duffy and Deedee have been rescuing animals for years, ever since they lived in Oregon. At one time, they had seven dogs.
“We rescued three donkeys, a couple of goats and a few sheep,” he said. “It seemed like we were rescuing everything that roamed around.”