New Alumni Hall of Fame member announced (2024)

Posted June 3, 2024

The newest member of the Plymouth High School Alumni Hall of Fame was announced June 2 during PHS Commencement Exercises!

Gerald Krebsbach – Class of 1972

After completing high school, Gerry Krebsbach took night classes at Lakeshore Technical College to earn his Master Electrician degree, while working during the day to support and raise his family.

Mr. Krebsbach now is president of KW Electric, the Plymouth-based company that he founded in 1988. He also is involved in the apprenticeship program at Lakeshore Technical College and is president of the board of trustees for apprenticeships within the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Mr. Krebsbach’s influence spreads throughout the community and even into other countries. He strives to utilize local businesses as much as possible, such as the lights for the “Cheese Capital” arch on Eastern Avenue. He also has used his Master Electrician training to provide support to wire buildings for electricity in third-world countries.

Once an athlete himself, Mr. Krebsbach supports Plymouth High School athletics and other local teams. He also is the Royal Rangers district leader for Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Royal Rangers is a K-12 program, in which “men mentor boys” to be lifelong leaders in their church and community. He has been a part of this organization for the past 40 years. Mr. Krebsbach also has been a deacon and Sunday School teacher for his church, and continues to serve in leadership roles.

Mr. Krebsbach credits his wife, Debi, for her endless support and contributions to these achievements, noting that she has been instrumental in the success of KW Electric and the Royal Rangers program. She has spent more than 30 years working in the school system and has accompanied her husband on numerous mission trips. He believes that she, his constant companion in both personal and professional endeavors, is owed as much recognition for these accomplishments as he is.

Learn more:

• Visit the PHS Alumni Hall of Fame webpage, which includes bios of all Hall of Fame members.
• Read more about the 2024 PHS Commencement Exercises.
• Explore the Post-Graduate Success section of our interactive, award-winning District Report Card to learn more about how Plymouth grads are making an impact all over the world.

PHS Alumni Hall of Fame

The Alumni Hall of Fame was created in 2010 to honor excellence and celebrate the successes of PHS graduates. Inductees are meant to serve as role models and inspiration for current students and the extended community.

New candidates, who must have graduated from PHS at least 10 years ago, may be nominated annually in the spring. The nominations then are reviewed by Student Council members, with the honorees revealed at Graduation in June and inducted at Homecoming in the fall.

Plymouth Hall of Fame members

• Gilbert G. Gilman, Class of 1940, banker, inducted in 2015
• Dar Blanke, Class of 1941, bank president and civic leader, inducted in 2016
• Carol Edler Baumann, Class of 1950, of the Class of political science professor, inducted in 2010
• Timm A Zimmermann, Class of 1953, nuclear medicine pioneer, inducted in 2010
• Luther Schriefer, Class of 1955, U.S. Navy Admiral, inducted in 2014
• Dr. Kazuhiko Maekawa, Class of 1958, the first foreign exchange student at PHS, inducted in 2010
• Dr. Philip M. Krueger, Class of 1958, ob/gyn and U.S. Forest Service Heritage Hero, inducted in 2011
• David G. Wacker, Class of 1958, teacher and renowned photographer, inducted in 2014
• Ed Brinkman, Class of 1959, PHS teacher and coach, inducted in 2021
• Barbara (Koehler) Lavallee, Class of 1960, artist and book illustrator, inducted in 2011
• Wayne Huberty, Class of 1960, certified public accountant, inducted in 2012
• Nancy Blick Jusky, Class of 1960, community activist, inducted in 2013
• Sister Kathryn Schilling, Class of 1961, who ministers to the poor in Nicaragua, inducted in 2011
• Ralph C. Stayer, Class of 1961, head of Johnsonville Foods, inducted in 2018
• Ron Nicolaus, Class of 1963, longtime Plymouth fire chief, inducted in 2023
• Stan Struve, Class of 1964, youth coach and advocate for those with special needs, inducted in 2019
• Lou Gentine, Class of 1966, owner of Sargento Foods, inducted in 2012
• Thomas Kestell, Class of 1966, dairy farmer, inducted in 2016
• Allen Nohl, Class of 1968, advocate for veterans, inducted in 2018
• Keith Abler, Class of 1969, musician and civic leader, inducted in 2022
• Tony Evers, Class of 1969, then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction and later Governor of Wisconsin, inducted in 2011
• Scott Richards, Class of 1969, teacher and coach, inducted in 2022
• Chuck Schumacher, Class of 1969, activist in Southeast Asia, inducted in 2020
• Roger Boeckmann, Class of 1971, automotive technician, inducted in 2015
• Gerald Krebsbach, Class of 1972, founder of KW Electric , inducted in 2024
• James Hemauer, Class of 1973, advocate for those with disabilities, inducted in 2013
• Gary Gritt, Class of 1973, co-founder of High Tech Tool and Die, inducted in 2017
• Joan Vorpagel, Class of 1973, Parkview Elementary School secretary, inducted in 2014
• Dr. Sharon (Blanke) Chappy, Class of 1975, nursing educator, inducted in 2015
• Bill Miller, Class of 1980, outdoors writer and expert, inducted in 2013
• Gina Krueger-Grapentine, Class of 1984, teacher and coach, inducted in 2023
• Laura Schwartz, Class of 1991, speaker and author, inducted in 2012
• Dr. Joel Dudley, Class of 1995, professor of genetics and genomic sciences, inducted in 2017
• Lisa (Peplinski) Jaster, Class of 1996, third woman to graduate from the Army Ranger Program, inducted in 2016
• Beau Hoopman, Class of 1999, member of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic rowing teams, inducted in 2017
• David Peters, Class of 2001, champion of those struggling with addiction and mental-health issues, inducted in 2021
• April Doebert-Fischer, Class of 2004, occupational therapy professor and advocate for at-risk children, inducted in 2019