Edward Kaiser of Canton served in World War II and in Korea with the Army Corps of Engineers, and was also stationed at Camp Ellis in Ipava. When his tours of duty ended, the Army sergeant returned to civilian life, first working for the Oliver dealership in Fairview, then for the Mobile Oil Company in Canton before becoming a self-employed tractor mechanic for area farmers who dubbed him “The Tractor Man.”
In 1965, when Spoon River College was still known as Canton Community College and was in the process of relocating from Canton High School to various buildings in downtown Canton, Kaiser took on yet a different role; he helped establish and teach the farm machine diesel technology program, which today is known as the Diesel and Power Systems Technology (DPST) program.
In 1974, Kaiser had the privilege of setting up the new shop when the college—by then known as Spoon River College—moved to its present location at 23235 N. County 22. He continued to teach until he retired in 1986.
Fifty-one years later, Kaiser’s great-granddaughter and SRC welding instructor Allysia “Lysa Jo” Adams, had a similar experience as she helped prepare the welding shop on the college’s brand-new campus in Macomb, located at 2500 E. Jackson.
Allysia has fond memories of her Grandpa Ed, who passed away in 2006 when she was 16 years old. “He was a prankster. He used to sneak me cinnamon candies when I was young thinking they would be too hot for me, but I liked them as much he did. What started as a joke became our tradition.”
Allysia first started teaching welding at the Canton Campus in 2018, and has been teaching the night classes at the Macomb campus since 2021. Long interested in metallurgy, she chose welding as a profession because she knew it was a career that could support a family plus it paired well with her interest in different metals. “I knew from Grandpa Ed that blue-collar work was respectable, and he had an impact on my decision to teach, knowing it would be a great career and that Spoon River College was a great institution.”
Kaiser’s memory lives on in the Edward R. Kaiser Scholarship, established by his family to assist students in the DPST program. Recipients are selected annually by the SRC Diesel Advisory Committee, which Kaiser’s grandson, Kevin Kaiser. is a member of.
“I can’t say enough about how proud I am to have my daughter teaching at Spoon River College just like her great-grandfather. He would be proud too,” said Kevin Kaiser.
