Hank Scherich of Measurement Inc, Coldwater, Kansas

Measurement Incorporated^� (MI) was founded in Durham, North Carolina, by Henry �Hank� Scherich, a former Comanche County native. Its office location in Coldwater, Kansas, came about in 1999, when School District #300 decided to consolidate its schools and several educators were to be laid off. Dr. Scherich decided to locate his company�s tenth office site in Comanche County. He then offered the laid-off School District educators positions in the new MI office. Eventually, all of the educators either found teaching positions in other school districts or changed professions, but MI�s Comanche County office remained and became a successful part of the area.

At first, MI leased a portion of the Coldwater Grade School from District #300 for use as an office. Later in 2000, when the old high school, grade school, auditorium, and gymnasium were advertised for sale, MI successfully bid to purchase the grade school building. The old high school building, auditorium, and gymnasium were simply too big and antiquated for any useful, cost-effective purpose envisioned by Dr. Scherich and his management team.

Renovations were completed on the seven-room former grade school building in 2002 using local contractors to the fullest extent possible, at a cost of over $300,000. It is now one of the most beautiful and modern buildings in Comanche County and serves as MI�s local office and test scoring center.

More importantly, the renovation preserved one of the few remaining buildings constructed in Kansas by the Public Works Administration during the Great Depression of the 1930�s. District #300 and MI saved the date markers and plaques from the original construction and embedded them for posterity into the brick walls of the new patio at the back of the building.

Measurement Incorporated^� is a full-service educational company that provides achievement tests and scoring services for state governments, other testing companies, and various organizations. There are two full-time employees in the Comanche County office, two other full-time employees in Kansas who use that office as a base, over 20 temporary employees who work on various scoring projects, and dozens of educators across the state who develop questions for many of MI�s item-writing contracts. Because of its base in Comanche County, employee salaries, taxes, and other purchases, MI�s contribution to the western Kansas economy exceeds one quarter of a million dollars per year and is growing.

In its renovated office, MI has dedicated a �Hallway of Educational Fame� for pictures of old Comanche County schools.

We encourage anyone with photographs of the township schools to bring or send them to us. Please provide the school name, location, and date of the picture and, if people are shown in the picture, provide their names if possible. We will copy your picture and return it, so please include your name and address, if mailed. Send pictures to Measurement Incorporated^�, Box 748, Coldwater, KS 67029.

Please visit the �Hallway of Educational Fame� at MI.

Submitted by Hank Scherich

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Also see:

Douglas Alan Scherich

Henry "Hank" Scherich

Kevin Lynn Scherich

Larry "Dee" and Phyllis Scherich

Steven Scott Scherich

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Thanks to Phyllis Scherich for contributing the above historical article to this web site!