With 80 years between them, two alumni reflect on Manchester High School, life experiences
Reno Feldkamp, MHS Class of 1943 (left), and Caiden Kippnick, MHS Class of 2023 (right)
submitted by Julie Trolz Ashley, Manchester High School Alumni Association, Class of 1973
Reno Feldkamp graduated from Manchester High School in 1943. Caiden Kippnick is graduating from Manchester High School in 2023. Reno is 98 and Caiden is 17. The Class of 1943 had 33 students, while the Class of 2023 has 76 students.
Eighty years separate these men. In 1943, average annual wages were $2,000, a gallon of gas cost 15 cents, and Franklin Roosevelt was president. Today, the average annual wages are about $58,000, a gallon of gas costs $3.55, and Joe Biden is president. Thirteen presidents have served our country in this timespan.
Both Caiden and Reno will be featured at the annual Manchester High School Association Alumni Banquet Saturday, June 17, at Manchester High School. Reno will be sharing his memories in a brief presentation. Caiden is the recipient of the Class of 1973 Scholarship.
Although 80 years separate these two MHS alumni, both had fulfilling, rewarding high school experiences. Reno enjoyed music and performed in the MHS band and plays, wrote for the school newspaper, enjoyed sports, and was an active participant in Future Farmers of America (FFA). Caiden has been class president all four years; ran cross country and track (as captain for both teams in his senior year); participated in the FIRST Robotics competition, Quiz Bowl, DECA, and NHS; and has accumulated accolades in each of his sports and extra-curricular activities.
“Being able to take part in so many sports and activities in school while working a part-time job and maintaining good grades is something that I’ll look back on positively,” Caiden said. “For instance, in the span of just a year, our 4x800m relay team went all-state in track, I went all-state in quiz bowl, I placed high in a DECA Financial Consulting case study event at the state level, I planned a conflict management workshop, our boys’ cross country team went to states, and I’m 4th all time on the Manchester Cross Country leaderboard.”
Reno said he spent his childhood farming with his dad. “Driving a tractor was his favorite thing to do. My dad bought a tractor in 1930 and that ended my driving a team of horses behind a hay wagon,” he said.
Reno, a history buff and a founder of the Manchester Area Historical Society, has had a full life with a career in the farming industry. “History was and is my favorite subject. I believe in working hard, although some good luck helps,” said Reno, who has been married to his wife, Nancy, for 75 years. For the most part, Reno has lived his entire life in Manchester.
Although Reno’s favorite subject was history, Caiden says he can’t decide. “I enjoyed classes like calculus and accounting a lot because of how structured all of the problems are, but I also appreciated chemistry and some of the history classes I’ve taken,” Caiden said.
Unlike Reno, who was an only child, Caiden is a triplet, born in Ann Arbor, who spent his early years in a suburb of Charlotte, N.C. He has dual citizenship, U.S. and Germany, because his dad was born in Germany. “I am a triplet, which creates an interesting dynamic in my house; it’s like having two built-in best friends for life. My parents taught me the importance of getting involved, volunteering, and working hard to reach lofty goals, and that it will all pay off in the end,” Caiden said.
According to a 2017 article in the Manchester Mirror, Reno had a successful career “selling seed corn for Pioneer Hi-Bred International starting in the early 1960s, then became one of the company’s youngest district sales managers, taking care of the eastern half of the state for 26 years. He worked there for 36 years, 26 in sales management. During that time he and his wife shared trips to sales conferences in Hawaii, Spain, and other locations; plus, association with very good people on Michigan farms.” He and his wife are avid travelers, and have shared trips to all 50 states.
Caiden has traveled to Europe multiple times to visit family; while competing with DECA in high school he went to New York City, and he says, “I would love to go back to Europe and see more of the sights.”
Reno says he has appreciated living in a small town and raising his five children, four daughters and one son, in Manchester. His advice for parents is to “encourage your children in their areas of interest. If they are interested in something, tell them to go for it.” He mentioned his son who was interested in theater. “We encouraged him to try out for the school musical, Oklahoma, and he got a major part. In our opinion he won an Oscar for his performance and our whole family felt proud of his success.”
“Living in a place that nature is so accessible is something I cherish,” Caiden says. “Our home borders a nature preserve with several miles of trails that meander through forests and fields, which I hike and run on a lot. In addition to this, kayaking down the River Raisin frequently is something that a lot of people aren’t able to do. I’m extremely grateful for all of it.”
Reno says his favorite books are Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and Valiant Years by Mary Churchill. Caiden said: “Even though I work at the library, and have come across many great books, I haven’t had as much time to sit down and read aside from books for school.”
Reno farmed, worked for Pioneer Hi-Bred, and had a lifetime of experiential learning after high school. Most importantly, four years after high school, Reno married Nancy in 1947.
Caiden plans to pursue a business management degree from Michigan State University. “I want to focus in international business, and I also plan to minor in something related to policy. I’m not entirely sure what exactly I want to do after that, but I’m going to explore my options when I begin pursuing my degree.”
Caiden has grown up in a world with technology, digital resources, and has learned critical thinking from myriad social media and online sources, none of which even existed when Reno was graduating and beginning his post–high school life.
Despite all the differences spanning 80 years between the high school graduations of Reno and Caiden, there are so many things that remain the same — family, friends, and community.
Caiden said: “Despite age, completely different career paths, and completely different societal norms, I imagine there is one thing that stays the same: passion. Passion for our goals and ambitions, and passion for what we want to do with our lives and how we impact others.”
Reno’s advice for today’s students is to “work hard and to be alert to recognize an opportunity when it appears.”
Caiden’s advice: “Maintain good relationships with teachers and administrators so that when the time comes, they can vouch for you. But most importantly, the biggest piece of advice I would give a student entering high school is to apply yourself. Don’t be afraid to get involved, and don’t shy away from hard things. But make sure you do this in a healthy way; it is important to prioritize taking care of yourself, both physically and mentally.”
There have been many challenges in the world that Reno has lived through, but for Caiden, the pandemic impacted his high school experience the most. “The biggest challenge in my life was going to high school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though I had siblings and my parents, I still felt very isolated from everyone else. What also didn’t help was that people had conflicting opinions about how to handle the situation, and it created a very divisive atmosphere within the school. I was able to overcome this by staying true to my beliefs while listening to and respecting others’ perspectives.”
Both Reno and Caiden reflected that Manchester High School prepared them well for the “real” world.
Caiden said: “I had several teachers help me a lot throughout high school. Mr. Gerbe, my biology and chemistry teacher, was someone who went above and beyond as a teacher; I felt like he truly believed in my potential. Ms. Rollins, a teacher I had for accounting and other business classes, helped me enjoy the field of business, which played a major role in my career choice.”
Reno said: “I’m an ordinary guy who’s a graduate from a great school, with five successful kids — that’s my idea of success.”
For more information about the Manchester High School Alumni Association, please email mhsdutchalumni@yahoo.com or see the website at www.manchesterhighschoolalumni.com
Reno Feldkamp with Manchester High School Class of 1943 composite photo
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