After retiring in 2000 after more than 35 years as an educator, Ralph Vogel came out of retirement for four more years to serve as superintendent of Central Christian School in Hutchinson, where he implemented a reorganization plan. Previously, Vogel was principal of Inman Elementary School in Inman, where his innovations included "Grandparents Actively Participating (GAP)," a program in which he enlisted grandparents to help needy or special children on a weekly basis. Vogel also implemented "Parents and Teachers Enjoy Reading (PACER)," a program through which community donations were used to provide children with books that they could keep and read on their own. Vogel also planned the ten-acre "Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site (OWLS)" for the benefit of his students and the community at large. Vogel was also a city council representative, a deacon in his church, the author of a series of articles on "Parent Helps for Active Parenting," an adult Sunday School teacher, a musician and a poet—and he helped create the city's museum. In 1993, he received the Kansas Music Educators Association award for Kansas Principal of the Year. "Do it as a calling, not as a job" is Vogel's advice to those who are considering becoming educators.
1963 Tabor College, B.A.
