This year the CAA had a new Hall of Fame inductee at their annual convention, Yuma County’s John Schaffner.
The Hall of Fame award is a way to recognize someone that has not only given outstanding service to the auction industry, but also their involvement in the Colorado Auctioneers Association, CAA members, fellow auctioneers, in addition to their services/activities within his/her community.
The inductee this year has contributed above and beyond within these areas and is an exemplary member of the association. His public presence supported this and reflects the high caliber in which he operates both professionally and personally. Per the CAA Hall of Fame application, nominations cannot be submitted by a family member but can be submitted by any member of the Colorado Auctioneers Association.
Each year, the CAA Hall of Fame members meet privately during the annual convention to further discuss nominations and vote to see if the following candidate meets the criteria. And for 2025, John Schaffner became the newest member of the CAA Hall of Fame.
John Schaffner grew up near Ferriday, Louisiana and had dreamt of being an auctioneer since he was a teenager. He got his first job working at Lum Brothers Stockyard not too far from home. His job was to run the cattle off the scales just outside the auction ring, giving him the pleasure of listening to the rhythmic chant of the auctioneers all afternoon.
In 1974, just a few years after graduating high school, John attended Missouri Auction School, held in the historic Livestock Exchange Building at the Kansas City Stockyards.
Ten years later, John made the move out west with his young family to Wray, Colorado after having managed a livestock auction barn in Rockport, Missouri. The highly respected local auctioneer, Troil Welton, was just retiring from his longtime auction career, and encouraged John to pick up where he was leaving off.
In 1997, John joined the Colorado Auctioneers Association at the suggestion of Troil’s son, David. The rest is history! They now own and operate Schaffner Auction Company just west of Wray, Colorado. John credits his success in the auction business to the things he has learned, and the connections he has made at the annual auctioneer’s conventions. Having served as president of the association in 2014 John is now on the board of directors again in the position of first vice president.
John is an important piece of what makes the CAA so special. He shares his cowboy poetry, is famous among our members with his delicious chuckwagon meals, and above all, is a friend to many. John has many accolades in his life, but he is most proud of his 54 year marriage to his wife, Roberta and their three children, fourteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
John feels it is an honor of a lifetime to be chosen by his peers to be inducted into the Colorado Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame at the 2025 annual convention. His peers agree that no one is more deserving than John Schaffner.