Paul Kobermusz to retire from Ridgewater
By Carol Stender
cstender@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 05/06/2010 9:25 AM
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WILLMAR, Minn. —Paul Kobermusz's grandfather was probably not surprised his grandson chose a career in ag mechanics. After all, Grandpa Alvin did give his grandson a wrench as a birth present.
The mentoring from his grandfather and father, Earl, on the family's Manly, Iowa dairy farm led Kobermusz to a stellar career as both an ag mechanic and instructor. Now, after 34 years teaching in Minnesota's vocational technical college system, Kobermusz is retiring.
But you can't stop someone who loves mechanics like Kobermusz from continuing his work. He plans to do repair jobs at his Hutchinson home.
Kobermusz recalls the start of his mechanical interests on the family farm. He followed his grandfather and dad as they repaired and maintained the farm's machinery. When his high school graduation came, Kobermusz had trouble finding a college in Iowa that offered ag mechanics courses. He discovered two —one in Alexandria and the other in Staples —which offered the course and accepted non-Minnesota students. At that time, students paid no tuition to attend vocational technical schools, he said. Years later they required a $2 per day payment which had some balking at the cost, he said. Now the schools charge tuition.
He graduated from Staples Vocational Technical College and worked for the John Deere company for several years.
A call from a former instructor took Kobermusz on a different career path. He was asked to consider teaching students about ag mechanics. No teaching certificate was required. Kobermusz' own work experience was key for his teaching knowledge. He took a course on teaching methods and started his first year at a new East Grand Forks vocational technical school. He followed that with 16 years at what is now Ridgewater College in Hutchinson and, for the last 17 years, has taught at Ridgewater in Willmar.
The focus of Hutchinson's and Willmar's ag mechanics programs differed slightly, he said. Students at the Hutchinson program were mostly employed as farm equipment dealership service technicians while students in Willmar's ag mechanics program are mainly involved in production agriculture, he said.
"Years ago when I started teaching, there wasn't too much involved with planting," Kobermusz said. "The equipment now is much more sophisticated. Now the equipment is so much more technical. The student who comes (to Ridgewater in Willmar) is learning more of the process and equipment. They want to know how to calibrate the equipment."
His favorite teaching memories fall around the students' building their own tractors. After the process is complete, there's usually one group that remains behind, he said. They ask him to start their tractor for the first time. He enjoys hearing the engine catch and watching the students. They are both surprised and pleased, he said. It's an experience he enjoys as a teacher.
Climbing around on the equipment and standing on cement floors has taken its toll, Kobermusz said.
"This is a very physical job and it just got to a point where my legs and knees couldn't take it any longer...I know I am going to miss this. This has been tough to do, to retire, but it's time."
He will remain very active in retirement. He has seven grandchildren with an eighth on the way, Kobermusz said. And he tends a large garden with his wife at their Hutchinson home.
And, from his own repair shop, he plans to work on farm equipment.
"It won't be a big business but it will be something I can putz with," he said.
For the past 17 years, Kobermusz has commuted a 104-mile round trip from Hutchinson to Willmar.
"I never hated that drive," he said. "I can count on one hand the number of really bad weather trips I traveled."
Now he'll have a short walk from his house to the shop.
Joining him in retirement is Ridgewater College's dairy management instructor Brant Groen. Groen taught ag mechanics briefly before Kobermusz was hired.
Ridgewater College instructor Kim Lippert said the two are inspirational teachers. Groen helped develop the dairy program and Kobermusz is a "walking ag mechanics encyclopedia," she said.
The two will be honored with Paul Goehring at a retirement party June 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Ridgewater College Willmar campus ag department. Goehring, who retired last year, was an ag management and livestock instructor for around 30 years at the college.