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November 2024 Alumni Spotlight Sumner Hunt SHS Class of 1960




I graduated from SHS with the class of 1960.  We were the next to last class to graduate from the old High School (now the Junior High). I attended Haig School K-8 with 5 in my class so my freshman year with over 200 was a big change.  I grew up on a farm and ranch west of Scottsbluff known as Hunt’s Dairy Farm. In addition to row crops we raised and fed out cattle. I was very active in 4-H using profit from livestock projects to help pay for  college. 

My father graduated from SHS, and my mother taught Latin at SHS before she married my father. (Females weren’t allowed to be married and teach back then.) Both of my grandparents homesteaded in the area around 1900. I have three younger brothers who graduated from SHS in 1961, 1963 and 1965. I participated in Football, Basketball and Track earning Letters in each. A major highlight was winning the Big Ten Football game on a very cold day in which I replaced an injured team mate. I’ll always remember the long trips (some overnight) competing in our conference which covered much of Nebraska as well as football trips to Wyoming and South Dakota. Luckily, we rode in an older Trailways bus with softer seats than the yellow ones. 

Teachers who helped influence my future education and career choice were Lawrence Lemons (Principle and Spanish Teacher), Marie Sellars (Biology), Wayne Binfield (Chemistry). Nellie Barron (Math) and Doug Chappell (Math). Key Club, S Club and National Honor Society are especially memorable organizations that I participated in. I also fondly remember trips to the Key Cub National Conventions in Chicago and Toronto plus attending Boys State in Lincoln. 

After SHS I enrolled at Doane College where I graduated in 1964 with majors in Math, Chemistry and Physics. Again, there was a bit of a contrast in size as only 55 were in our graduating class. That summer I married Bonnie Headrick, who also graduated from Doane, and we reached our 60th anniversary last summer. We have a son and a daughter who still live near us in Illinois and have five granddaughters. Three have graduated from college and do what they love.  After Doane, I received a NASA Fellowship to attend Columbia Engineering School in New York City.  In 1966 I received both a BS and MS in Engineering Mechanics. Following graduation I interviewed with several companies, ultimately choosing Caterpillar Tractor Company.  We moved to Peroria, Illinois and still live in the area. I started in their Research Chemistry working on Rubber and Plastic Product Development. One was High Pressure Hydraulic Hose that is still manufactured by Caterpillar. Another was developing a Tire Line for large, wheeled construction equipment. An outgrowth of this was a product known as a Rubber Belt that was reinforced with wire cable. It was originally introduced on Caterpillar Challenger Ag Tractors and now is used around the world on Ag and Construction machines. I later transferred to the Manufacturing side and became a Quality Manager in the Hose and Coupling Business Unit. I retired after 36 years of service in 2022. For the past 20+ years I’ve been involved raising and showing POA’s (Pony of The Americas) with my daughter and four granddaughters. We have gone to events in 14 states usually participating in 40-50 shows per year. We have been blessed to meet and become friends with hundreds of people in this organization. We just retired a 24-year-old POA who has amassed more points than any other pony in our breed. We live on a small farm near Brimfield, IL. I have always been interesting in agriculture and am currently serving on our county Farm Bureau Board and keeping up with farmers around North America through You Tube. I’m involved with a local church that has had dying membership and recently closed. I’ve also been a member of a local Men’s Club. We organize and put on an annual Old Settlers week with Carnival, Food Tent, Beer Tent and Stage Shows. In the last 50 years the profits have returned thousands of dollars to the community. 

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