By Craig Williams

Steve Stombaugh learned early that curiosity could be dangerous. At seven or eight years old, fascinated by how things worked, he took apart his first wind-up alarm clock. "It exploded in my face," he recalls with a laugh. "I should have been a little more careful. But I was always curious about things."

That curiosity would define not just Steve's career, but his approach to life itself. The Vandalia Class of 1973 graduate represents the fourth generation of a family business that will celebrate 114 years this September—a remarkable achievement in an era when most family enterprises don't survive past the third generation.

"I have yet to find multi-generational businesses that don't fall into one of only two categories," Steve observes. "Either the next generation is very competent, very capable, takes the head start they're given and moves it to the next level, or the next generation is a deadbeat along for the ride and that's the end of the multi generation. You don't find any middle of the roaders."

Steve's family clearly chose the path of competence. Stombaugh Heating Air Conditioning, along with sister company Stombaugh Design Service, has evolved from pot-bellied stoves through coal-fired furnaces to modern air conditioning and engineering work. "Each generation has brought something along," Steve explains.

His own contribution came through education and engineering expertise. After graduating from Vandalia—where he was a strong student who "seldom ever studied" but "graduated high in my class"—Steve headed to the University of Illinois. He knew his direction early: "I wanted to be an engineer. I knew what I wanted to do when I was in seventh grade."

Steve earned his mechanical engineering degree in December 1977, taking four and a half years to complete his studies after transferring from Lakeland College. Both he and his son Zachary, who now runs the business, are Professional Engineers (PEs)—a credential that speaks to their technical expertise.

The transition from college back to the family business was handled thoughtfully. "When I was old enough to work within the business, I started sweeping the floor, putting stuff away, cleaning the bathroom. I slowly moved up, and the people that worked for us realized that I'd done everything." This approach prevented resentment and established Steve's credibility with employees who knew he wouldn't ask them to do anything he hadn't done himself.

Steve's engineering work extends throughout Vandalia's school system, where he designed the heating and air conditioning systems. In a discovery that still amuses him, Steve found that the gymnasium in what's now the elementary school had been air conditioned since it opened in the early 1970s—but nobody knew how to turn it on.

"I said, I went to the building and checked existing conditions against the drawings. I just want you all to know that gymnasium has been air conditioned since day one," he told a surprised superintendent who had been the basketball coach. "The people who were the maintenance people somehow didn't know how to turn it on. There were valves in the boiler room to send chilled water to the gymnasium, but there's a valve over there that is chained closed."

Beyond engineering, Steve has been deeply involved in community leadership. He served as president of the Chamber of Commerce—the youngest person ever to hold that position—and was followed in that role by his mother, who had been valedictorian of her class.

Steve and his wife Sandy, who served as the district nurse for over 20 years, raised three remarkable children, all Vandalia graduates. Stephanie earned her biomedical engineering degree from Washington University and works for Biotronics developing pacemakers and defibrillators. Zachary followed his father's path with a mechanical engineering degree from SIU Edwardsville and now runs the family business as the fifth generation. Allison earned her business degree from Eastern Illinois, an MBA from McKendree, and with her husband owns a floor covering store in town.

Steve's innovative thinking showed up early in high school when he fought to take Home Economics—unheard of for boys in the early 1970s. When the principal threatened to kick him out of school for being a "smart aleck," Steve persisted. The principal challenged him to find four other boys willing to take the class, thinking this would end the matter. "Didn't take me 30 minutes," Steve says. He returned with five names, and the next day all six boys were enrolled.

The decision proved prescient. Steve became an accomplished cook, even preparing a full Mexican meal for his mother's bridge club, who were "stunned that a boy would do that." The cooking skills served him well in college, where he and his roommates "ate well" thanks to their shared culinary abilities.

After retiring five years ago—"COVID drove me out" when his children worried about his health risks—Steve rediscovered his passion for cooking, this time focusing on baking. "I started back in the kitchen, and now I've become a fairly well received baker." His specialties include pies with vodka in the crust for flakiness, caramel sweet rolls, and pecan sticky buns, all made with unusual recipes that require precision.

"To bake, that's chemistry and to duplicate it... it's precision. It is not grandma's 'put a little of this, put a little of that,'" Steve explains, bringing his engineering mindset to his retirement pursuits.

Looking back on a career that helped modernize Vandalia's infrastructure while maintaining a century-old family business, Steve embodies the curious spirit that drove him to disassemble that first alarm clock. Whether he's solving HVAC challenges, perfecting a pie crust recipe, or watching his son lead the business into its sixth generation, Steve Stombaugh continues asking "why"—and finding ways to build something better.