A dynamic duo: Twins help create skilled technicians at CTC

Early on a Tuesday, twins Ron and Don Schaefer walk from the automotive shop to their classroom at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

They're not identical -- Don carries his coffee in a styrofoam cup while Ron's mug says "Grumpy" -- but close enough.

Their mechanical careers started as children fixing their neighbors' lawnmowers growing up in Scott City.

"Our dad and uncle raced stock cars," Don recalled.

"At Arena Park," Ron added.

Ron and his twin brother Don Schaefer look underneath the hood with a class at the Career and Technology Center in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

"We didn't get to help much, but we sure paid attention," Don said.

The CTC was where they themselves learned the ins and outs of automobiles.

"Me and my brother both went here 1977, '78, '79," Ron said, he for auto body and Don for auto mechanics.

So it's fitting that this year marks Don's ninth teaching at the CTC, while Ron's going on his 30th.

Over that time, they've seen changes to the facility and auto industry first-hand.

"Oh man, it's not even close," Ron says of the curriculum the brothers teach nowadays. "It's changed just as much as the cars have."

And, he pointed out, that's a good thing. There's demand for skilled technicians, but to become one is no small task.

"Used to be every Gomer Pyle -- you know Gomer Pyle? -- anyone could do this," Ron said. "You could just be 'a natural' and be pretty good at it. ... Now, someone says, 'I'm gonna do this and not go back to school.' Nope."

Because now, Schaefer said, pretty much everything in a car is automatic, electrical or web-connected.

"Automotive today is about five to six years behind military technology," he said. "The need for high-level technicians ..."

"It's high," Don added, nodding.

"And it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year," Ron said.

Their classes are comprised of teens and adults alike, which Ron said works out pretty well. Classes are no-nonsense to maintain a safe working environment.

"We're like drill sergeants, plain and simple," Ron said. "We treat 'em like an employee. Like an adult."

For some of their pupils, Ron said, it's the first time they've been treated as such. A little responsibility, he said, can do wonders for a young person's maturity. Most of their students go from the CTC to a technical college, and some even keep in touch after they land their first jobs.

"Usually it's the ones who give you trouble," Don said. "They're the ones who come back and say thanks and talk about how, you know, 'You're the only teacher who gave me respect,' that kind of thing."

"You get the good ones sometimes, too," Ron added. "But, yep. Have you got anybody?"

"They're all going to school, Ron," Don answered.

Despite being in an industry the Schaefer's said can change from month to month, Ron said if a student can knuckle down and study, he and his brother will teach them what they need to know.

"We just try to prepare them for the real world," Ron says.

"That's right," said Don.

tgraef@semissourian.com (573) 388-3627