At 78 years old, this Peoria native just graduated from college and is ready to teach

Andy Kravetz, Journal Star
·4 min read
Kent Trompeter, 78, recently completed his bachelor's degree and will teach history in the fall.
Kent Trompeter, 78, recently completed his bachelor's degree and will teach history in the fall.

PEORIA – Kent Trompeter wants to bring his life experiences into the classroom and to use his love of history to teach teens.

Sounds noble for any teacher, but the Peoria native is 78 years old and just finished his four-year degree at Northern Colorado University in Fort Collins.

This fall, the Air Force veteran, pilot, sailboat instructor and former computer database manager will bring his knowledge to the small rural town of Oakley, Kansas – a city of 2,000 roughly 70 miles from the border with Colorado.

He wants to take his love of traveling and his experiences over the past eight decades and convey them to children who might not know what really happened.

"One of the great things that I have found, especially during my student teaching, is that a lot of things that are taught aren't totally correct or slanted, which I don't really care for," he said. "Because I have been to so many different places and done so many things in my life, I can present a different perspective on history and what happened."

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From Peoria to sailing the world

In this 2006 photo, Kent Trompeter, a Peoria native, stands near a sign in Hopetown in the Bahamas. He recently finished his four-year degree at the age of 78 and will begin teaching in high school this fall.
In this 2006 photo, Kent Trompeter, a Peoria native, stands near a sign in Hopetown in the Bahamas. He recently finished his four-year degree at the age of 78 and will begin teaching in high school this fall.

The 1962 Peoria High School graduate joined the Air Force out of school and traveled the globe, landing in Japan, Germany and stations in the United States. He worked loading weapons onto planes and later in air operations, where he learned computer programming.

He left the service in the mid-1970s after 14 years, eventually forming a consulting business where he helped others with database management and design.

A heart attack when he was 58 led to a quadruple bypass and another retirement, he said. But wanderlust and the desire to experience new things compelled him to buy a 36-foot sailboat and head around the Caribbean.

"It's been kind of something that I have always wanted to do. I have traveled all my life and I really wanted to go sail. There was a certain type of independence there and my wife was like, 'OK, we'll go.' And we did," he said. "If you have got an itch, then you need to scratch it.

"I don't want to sit back and say, 'I wish I would have,'" he said.

Kent Trompeter poses near a mahi mahi he caught in 2007 near the coast of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. He and his wife spent 10 years sailing around the area after he had retired from a private consulting business. He recently took on a new career as a high school teacher after finishing a four-year degree at Northern Colorado University at the age of 78.

He and his wife did that for 10 years. Then, the couple decided to head back to the U.S., where he got a job teaching sailing in St. Petersburg, Fla. After a few years of doing that, they decided to move to Colorado to be with their grandchildren.

It was then that he decided his love of history and his desire to share his experiences with others would cause him to become a teacher.

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He attended a local community college for two years, then transferred to NCU, where he finished up last weekend.

"It feels good. I'm glad it is over. It is a good feeling to have it done," he said. "Part of going to college is that you get a bachelor's degree in secondary education with a history concentration, so I have everything that I need and am waiting for the official transcript so I can get my license."

That license will go with his U.S. Coast Guard captain's license as well as his pilot's license. And yes – he still is flying, having learned years ago while living in Florida.

In the mid-2000s, Kent Trompeter and his wife spent 10 years sailing around the Caribbean in their 36-foot sailboat. The Peoria native who served in the Air Force, just finished his four-degree teaching degree at Northern Colorado University at the age of 78. He'll begin teaching high school students in the fall.
In the mid-2000s, Kent Trompeter and his wife spent 10 years sailing around the Caribbean in their 36-foot sailboat. The Peoria native who served in the Air Force, just finished his four-degree teaching degree at Northern Colorado University at the age of 78. He'll begin teaching high school students in the fall.

He hasn't been back to Peoria much since his early days. He made a trip back when his parents died in 1970 and 1976. And 10 to 15 years ago, he had a craving for pizza.

"I was driving through the area and stopped by Agatucci's for some pizza and then left. It's the greatest pizza in the world," he said with a laugh. "I still remember the first time I was there and there was a clock behind the bar that ran backwards. It's still there."

His advice for anyone mimics a famous slogan for a popular shoe company – "Just do it."

"If you want to do it, then just go and do it."

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Former Peoria man graduates from college at 78, plans to teach