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Face to Face: Tonganoxie Planning Commission member Steve Gumm

By Shawn Linenberger - | Apr 19, 2016

Name: Steve Gumm

Born: Ottawa

Family: Wife, Heather, activities director at Tonganoxie Nursing Center; son, Tyler, a 2008 Tonganoxie High School graduate, now stationed at Fort Leonardwood, Mo.; daughters, Danielle, who graduated in 2010 from THS and now lives in Gradnview, Mo., where she works in the freight business, and Rachel, a 2014 THS graduate who now is a junior at Kansas State University majoring in accounting; and three grandchildren.

Occupation: Self-employed. Gumm does some bank subcontracting projects, but also works as a realtor for Reece and Nichols. He also has his insurance license with The Insurance Center.

Dream job as a child: Gumm said he couldn’t recall any childhood aspirations.

“I haven’t been a kid for 50 years, whether it was a fireman or any of that stuff,” Gumm said.

Interesting fact: He is shirt-tale relation to Judy Garland. Before her Hollywood career, she was known as Frances Gumm.

Digging deeper: A 1977 Glasco High School (now Southern Cloud High School) graduate, Gumm went on to Fort Hays State University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1981. Gumm worked for Heritage Savings in Hays and then Smith Center a total of 3 1/2 years and Prairie State Bank in Augusta for 7 1/2 years. From there, he worked three years as a business financial manager for an El Dorado nursing center before working 16 years at First State Bank and Trust in Tonganoxie. He’s been self-employed since October 2012.

Gumm served eight years on the Tonganoxie City Council from 2001-09, winning elections in 2001 and 2005. He’s currently on the Tonganoxie Planning Commission.

In 1991, Gumm completed the graduate school of banking program in 1991 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The program entailed two-week courses annually for three years interspersed with projects and papers.

He also was a 1997 Southern Leavenworth County Leadership Development Class graduate before serving on the group’s board for several years.

In his spare time, Gumm likes to hunt and fish, and, of course, spent time with all the grandchildren.