Alumni
Walter Pumfrey
- Allen Miller
- Angela Bailey
- Armin Mehrtens
- Bender McKinney, Jr.
- Bill Luetkenhaus
- Bill Waeltz
- Brent Deady
- Chad Wunsch
- Chris Lugge
- Dan Shymanski
- Darrell Williams
- Darren M. White
- David Byington
- David Chasnoff
- David E. Kite
- Dean Alinder
- Dennis Daugherty
- Dennis Newman
- Don Huster
- Dr. Martin J. Sommer
- Earl Walker
- Edward Boenker
- Eric Nelson
- Frank Bokan
- Frank Finley
- Fred Mertz
- Geoff Dugopolski
- George Schofield
- Gerald Kohnen
- Glen Wildermuth
- Herbert Williams
- Ian Lackey
- James "Jim" Kyle
- James (Jim) Hesse
- James Payne
- Jason Prichard
- Jerry Halley
- Joe Davis
- John Kohnen
- Kent Markus
- Kevin Haller
- Kirk Skaggs
- Larry Kelso
- Lee Patrick Janey
- Lynn Glatt
- Matt Kuemmel
- Michael Aaron Davenport
- Michael Spratt
- Mike Hecht
- Patrick Earl Taylor
- Peter Lewis
- Richard Podorski
- Rick Rajnoha
- Robert (Bob) Finley
- Robert A. Gau
- Robert Dunavan
- Robert Fish
- Robert Kramer, Sr.
- Robert Ruth
- Robert Smith
- Rolf Mitchel
- Ronald Johnson
- Ronald Ray
- Ronald Walls
- Russ Milkoski
- Scott Krone
- Stephen Devine
- Steven Bohnenkamp
- Thomas Huelsing
- Tom Gieseking
- Tom Wood
- Walter Hellebusch
- Walter Koessel
- Walter Pumfrey
- Walter Wildermuth
- Wilbur Jackson
- William Fennewald
- William Orrill
- William Rueckert
- William Wagner
- Winston Darrell Johnston, II
Machine Shop, 1963
“I’m just a plain old country boy that has lived a modest life and enjoy doing what I do.”
Walter Pumfrey retired from Ranken on September 15, 2006 after dedicating nearly 38 years of service as an instructor. Throughout his career, Walter has had a positive impact on countless students’ lives, as well as the lives of his colleagues.
Walter graduated from the Machine Shop program at Ranken in 1963. Walter learned about Ranken while attending school in his hometown of Galesburg, IL from his agriculture teacher who had sent his son to the carpentry program there. Walter decided to take his machining skills to Ranken and the rest is history.
Walter was greatly influenced by his former instructor, Clarence Weingartner, who was the department head of the Machine Shop. “For whatever reason he took me under his wing. Learning from him and his thought process was really a privilege.”
After graduating from Ranken, Walter landed a job at General Metal Products as an apprentice toolmaker. He spent his first three years there making tools and eventually moved on to building automated machines that assembled customer products.
Walter’s career in education began at Ranken in 1968 as a related drafting teacher. Three years later he began teaching welding and went to different companies to setup specialized industrial training programs.
Walter was hired to teach Machine Shop in 1975 and became the department head in 1976 where he remained until 2001, when he was asked to be department head of the INT program. Throughout his career at Ranken Walter has taught both day and evening school classes.
When asked what the best advice he has ever given to his students, Walter responded, “That they keep a healthy curiosity about their field and about life; don’t stop learning.”
Walter’s hobbies include gardening, landscaping and traveling. He also plans to enroll in college courses in horticulture in the near future. Walter resides in Herculaneum, MO with his wife of 45 years, Lil. Walter has two sons, Mike and Ron, both of whom graduated from the PMT program at Ranken.
