Walt enjoyed school and did well academically. He graduated from Gladwin Rural Agricultural High
School in June of 1945 – 16th in a class of 53 seniors. He also was the first in his family to reach this
milestone.
After graduation from high school, Walt enrolled at the Coyne Electrical Institute. It was an electrical
trade school in Chicago, Illinois, where his older sister was working. Growing up on the farm made this
education a natural area for Walt, since farming always includes fixing and building and even tinkering
with electricity.
Coyne Electrical School, Chicago, IL. (Photo Courtesy of Norman Steinkraus)
Halfway into his time at this trade school, he wrote his parents, telling them that he felt God was calling
him to full-time Christian work. At first he wondered if this was his own feeling and desire, or if God was
really calling him, since he didn’t know how he could take care of the farm and also get the training he
would need for Christian work. He committed his thoughts to the Lord in prayer and waited for the Lord
to show him the path to take.
10 | P a g e