Named for a man who believed in access.
Roger E. Boomershine spent his early life in several cities in Ohio and Indiana before attending college in Manchester, Indiana. He began his teaching career in one room schools north of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the mid 50's he took the position of Industrial Arts teacher at Galesburg-Augusta High School, near Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he taught for 30 years. Roger passed away in 2011 after a lifetime of teaching life skills, both personal and vocational to his children, grandchildren and hundreds of students.
Roy Boomershine was the oldest of Roger's eight children. As a young person he spent hours upon hours watching and helping Roger's numerous building and remodeling projects. After graduation from Western Michigan University he worked with Roger as a teacher's aide for a year, then worked several years in a printing company in Kalamazoo before starting his own business. Upon Roger's retirement, Roy was asked to take over the printing program at the high school, which over time also turned into teaching woodshop and drafting also, for 25 years.
After his retirement Roy worked with YouthBuild, and then he moved with his wife, Carla, to Springfield where he has worked with Ohio Jobs and Family Services summer job program, Clark County Juvenile Detention and Oesterlen Services for Youth. In 2018 they purchased the former Peter's Locksmith Building on East Main Street to set up the Skill Center. It is hoped that the Skill Center will continue to provide learning opportunities for teens, young adults, and any other interested persons in Springfield area.
Stop in at the Skill Center to see what we've got. See what kind of projects and skills you can learn to enhance your life.
The tools were always the barrier.
A laser cutter, a CNC router, a pottery kiln — none of these fit in a spare bedroom. The people who wanted to learn to weld or throw a pot simply had no place to do it. That gap is exactly what this building is for.
Membership covers access to every area: sewing, screen printing, laser, CNC, woodshop, pottery, welding. No gatekeeping. The equipment is here; so is everyone who knows how to run it.
The room works because the people do.
Members here teach each other. Someone shows up to use the laser cutter and ends up spending an hour helping a newcomer set up a screen print. That's not a program — it's just what happens when the same people keep coming back.
Words on a page only go so far.
The drill press, the kiln, the people mid-project — none of that reads as well as it looks in person. Come through and see what's happening.