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Ask Kenny Buchheit to talk about himself and it’s a short conversation. Ask him to do something to help others, and it’s a whole different matter.
In recognition of his efforts in the community, the Perry County Community Foundation named Buchheit, 82, the 2020 Humanitarian of the Year on Saturday during the grand opening ceremony for the American Tractor Museum in Perryville.
“I was just really humbled,” Bucheit said of receiving the honor. “It’s a real surprise, and I don’t feel like I’m really worthy of such an award. There are so many people around that really do a lot of good things for everybody and they chose me. I don’t know exactly why.”
One of the reasons, said PCCF president Angela Swan, is the recent opening of the 11,000 square-foot tractor museum, located at 508 N. Main St. in Perryville, in the same building as the Catalyst Center for Business. Many of the tractors on display came from Buchheit’s personal collection.
“The opening of American Tractor Museum, Kenny’s latest project, was only the most recent of the many ways Kenny and the Buchheit family have given back to their community,” Swan said. “It is what he stands for in everything he does. We thank him and are pleased to honor him as our 2020 Humanitarian of the Year.”
Swan and the PCCF board of directors made the presentation Saturday as part of the museum’s grand opening festivities instead of at their annual banquet, which was canceled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I feel like [this award] really reflects on my wife [Rhonda] and our [eight] children, you know, more than me,” said Buchheit.
Along with presenting Buchheit the award, the foundation marked the occasion by presenting a $1,000 donation to the museum , which displays Buchheit’s tractor collection and operates through free-will donations..
Buchheit has a long history of volunteer and charity work, much of it stemming from his time with the family business, Buchheit, Inc.
Among the numerous projects and groups he’s had a hand in assisting are Habitat for Humanity, Wreaths Across America, numerous instances of disaster relief — including the 2017 Perryville tornado, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and the 1993 flood that devastated much of northern Perry County.
Buchheit has been involved with the Knights of Columbus and numerous parish events at both St. Maurus Catholic Church in Biehle and St. Vincent de Paul in Perryville, and helped create the “Buckey Express” train that’s now owned by the First Baptist Church of Perryville and the airplane rides at the Seminary picnic.
Previously, Buchheit received the 2019 Employer of Veteran’s Award from the Missouri Department of American Legion and the St. Maurus Leadership Award in 1996.
On a personal level, Buchheit has “helped many individuals in the community during hard times,” said tractor museum board member Alissa Ernst.
“His son told me yesterday that there was a man that needed a coat,” Ernst said, “and so Kenny went out and got a coat for him and made sure he had a coat and said, ‘Don’t say anything about this. This is just something you need.’ That happens daily. Kenny is always taking care of somebody.”
The Perry County Community Foundation was founded in 2013 and has a stated mission of enhancing the Perry County community’s quality of life through philanthropic activities by encouraging, guiding and facilitating others “that aspire to engage in efforts that move our community forward in the areas of culture, aesthetics, education and leadership.”
Since 2017, the foundation has created a tornado relief fund to benefit county residents impacted by the tornado that struck Perry County on Feb. 28, 2017, leaving a 15-mile path of destruction across the northern part of the county, raising more than $170,000; applied for and received a $10,000 grant to help fund the Coalition for Heroin and Opioid Prevention; and helped facilitate a $10,000 multi-county grant to promote and continue education for government leaders about natural disasters.
Saturday’s grand opening drew hundreds of people during the day, and event organizers did their best to follow all pandemic guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID 19, including offering masks to all guests, sanitizing pens between use, and placing social distancing markers where necessary.
A special guest during Saturday’s grand opening was Congressman Jason Smith, who stopped at the museum for a brief tour during his annual summer trip around southern Missouri, visiting the 30 counties in the Eighth Congressional District.
“How do you not feel American standing in here with all these magnificent tractors,” Smith said. “This is truly amazing and does a great job of capturing the pride so many of our area farmers take in tending to their fields and land. Tourism is continuing to grow and prosper in our area, it is something we have seen year after year and this is one more attraction to get more and more folks to visit our beautiful district.”
The American Tractor Museum is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. The museum asks for a suggested donation of $10 person for admission, or $5 for seniors 65 or over, military or students. Admission for children 5-and-under is free.
