On March 31st, three new inductees will be added to the CCCHS Hall of Fame. These recipients are honored for their contributions to their communities, career growth, and how they represent their alma mater.

-Riley Rankin, CCCHS class of ‘64

-Worked for US Dept. of State for 40+ years

-Retired; goal to visit 150 countries

-Found over 1,500 perfect artifacts in Clay County

In a career spanning more than 40 years with the US State Department, CCCHS grad Riley Rankin has visited more than 100 countries. During that time, he lived in six, including Russia, France, Germany, and Italy. After retiring, he continued to do contract work for the State Department for 22, landing him in even more countries and islands. 

However, he’s not done traveling yet. This spring he traveled to Antarctica, a location that had long since been on his bucket list. 

“As I get a little older I start forgetting some of the places I’ve been,” he said. “As you do age you find these things become a little rusty. I look back and only a few years ago I was going to high school.” 

He said his career provided him the ability to travel and get life experiences he never would have imagined as a teen. 

“I feel really thrilled; I’ve had a fantastic life, the things I’ve been able to do.” 

As a high school athlete, Rankin broke records in track for the 440-yard dash, winning Class A State in 1964. However, while competing at Fort Hays State under a track scholarship, he realized his 5’8” frame couldn’t compete with taller athletes. 

“I needed to do my studying. I was getting by with Cs and a few Bs. My last two yeas I decided it was time to study and graduate.” 

With Vietnam underway, Rankin said it wasn’t a matter of if he would serve in the military, but when. This prompted him to take a 2-S deferment, meaning after college he would join the Army. He also had guidance from his father in this route, who himself was in the Army and later Reserves.

“I decided to go into a field which I felt would be fun to go into and I’m glad I did,” he said of choosing military intelligence. With a family member in the FBI, Rankin remembers meeting the cousin and thinking it would be an exciting field. 

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Rankin went to Military Intelligence School, before being stationed in Würzburg, Germany – a location close to his heart as it was home to his forefathers. As a Top-Secret Control Officer, he began working in security and background checks. 

“I spent six months cleaning up records and classified materials. All I did was take inventory and 30% was missing. No one else had checked,” he said. “I got a lot of high praise for cleaning up a mess that should’ve never been there.”

After the military, Rankin enrolled at Emporia State, where his brother, Kelly, a fellow hall-of-famer, was a professor. After earning his master’s degree in science/business, he took a job at Boeing. 

In a bullpen of 100+ people, it was his job to monitor production, costs, and for the Boeing 747 nosecone. 

“It was a challenging and interesting job, but after 10 months, I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do.” 

While researching jobs, he learned the State Department was hiring and threw his name into the mix. Ranking said there were a few key points on his resume that put him in the running, including his Eagle Scout accomplishment, as well as earning Top-Secret clearance with the Army. 

“The final interview was about two-three hours, they really worked you over, wanted to know everything about you,” he said. “They were really interested in my background in the Boy Scouts, which I thought was interesting. Then they said ‘If you want a job you start in two weeks.’” 

He immediately moved to Washington, DC. His first year was spent doing security checks for employees going into the State Department, which meant checking with government agencies like the FBI and CIA. 

Next he was assigned to the American Embassy in Rome as a Security Officer, followed by working Security Detail for then-Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. One of his fondest memories was meeting Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel one evening in Jerusalem. She hosted a dinner for Dr. Kissinger, and his security detail was also treated to dinner in her kitchen, where she spent time with them while her guests waited in the dining room. 

After five years as a Security Office, Rankin enrolled in a Financial Management training

Program. His first assignment as a Finance Officer was in Moscow. 

Living overseas was challenging for his family, particularly when they were in the Soviet Union. 

“It was pretty tough, and you were limited on returning to the States,” he said. Adding that while he never felt unsafe, Russia meant you were constantly monitored by the KGB.

Following his assignment in Moscow, he was sent to East Germany where the Berlin Wall still separated the East and West. While in East Berlin he said the family was fortunate to go through Checkpoint Charlie to enjoy life in West Berlin.

After living in Communist Countries during the Cold War, he was assigned to London where he moved with his family, including three kids, the youngest of which was born while stationed in Berlin. 

The family decided to return to life in Clay Center, where his three kids were raised.

Rankin continued to serve overseas first in Paris and later in Madrid. 

“I had some real prestigious jobs over my career,” he said. He covered security for Presidential and other VIP visits and helped reopen the Embassy in Belgrade after the NATO bombing. 

“I can’t complain about my life; I was blessed.”

After 28 years with the US State Department, Rankin retired, but it was a move that didn’t stick. Less than two years later he returned to the department for another two decades. This time, however, it was contract assignments to cover critical personnel gaps as well as financial and management oversight in Embassies.

“You can’t believe all the fun times I had and all the interesting people I met.” That list included Gerald Ford, Nancy Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George W Bush, Bill and Hilary Clinton, Bob Dole and many others. 

“You sort of get this in your blood,” he said. “You really get to see a lot of things going on.”

Today Rankin lives in California but still considers Kansas home. “Every time I go back to Clay Center I really feel at home. It’s just a different atmosphere. It’s a nice feeling being

back in the Midwest. And going back to CCCHS, I was just a young kid not knowing what type of life I would have. I just feel lucky to do what I did.”