Boomer is a “jack of all trades.”
There’s not too much he’s not done, and very little Boomer can’t fix if it needs repaired.
“A Master of none,” birthname Dennis Buchman claims emphatically.
Yet quite arguable, declare those knowing the farm machinery dealer-mechanic, trapshooting champion, golfing winner, golfcart repairman, fireman, and more.
Still, say Buchman Farm Supply, longtime family business remaining under his ownership, people know the name.
“Oh, at Alta Vista, I know them. I’ve done lots of business there,” about anybody in the Midwest will remember.
“I’m busy working on a ’cart for a golfer from the Manhattan country club,” Boomer surprisingly answered the phone.
“But I can talk while I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with it,” Boomer accommodated. “The owner has called me three times to see if it’s done. I told him I’d let him know when it was. He didn’t buy ’the cart here. I give priority to my golfcart customers.”
Usually someplace else fixing something for somebody, it was somewhat unusual for Boomer to answer the phone.
Often others with the same surname in the community get calls wondering: “Are you Buchman Farm Supply?” Response always the same: “No, he’s uptown, just keep trying to call there.”
First clarify how did Dennis Buchman become Boomer? There are several definitions for “boomer.” This one applies: “Chain boomer is a load tensioning device that features two tension hooks connected to a ratcheting lever.”
“Two boomers broke when I was chaining down some equipment, and I fell off the trailer backwards. I wasn’t hurt, but I’ve been known as Boomer ever since,” the Boomer said.
Perhaps even more widely recognized in earlier decades was his dad, Doc Buchman. He was the longtime Allis Chalmers and fullline farm equipment dealer, quite renowned over a 200-mile-plus radius of Alta Vista.
“Dad’s name was Kenneth Buchman. I don’t know how he became ‘Doc,’ but that’s how everybody knew him,” Boomer said.
Starting out “with no choice” as shop floor sweeper at Buchman Farm Supply after school, Boomer was soon repairing machinery. “I’ve been in the business my entire life and then took it over entirely when Dad passed away,” Boomer said.
“I was pretty much self-taught,” he insisted. “Dad handed me a wrench and that was about all the help I’d get. I would eventually get machinery working again.
“I put new equipment together, worked in the parts department, delivered machinery,” Boomer said.
Doc Buchman was raised on the farm, graduated from Alta Vista, then taught school. He worked at the local produce plant and then the International Harvester dealership. 
“Dad and Mom bought the Allis Chalmers dealership in 1955 and moved across the street to this location in 1964,” Boomer said.
Active in sports, Boomer graduated from Alta Vista in 1965, and disability discharged after short Air Force service. “I’ve been here ever since,” he said.
Likely most recognized for Allis Chalmers, the dealership offered a broad line of equipment. International pickups, Gleaner, Hesston, Farmhand, Crustbuster, Kewanee, Mayrath; “I can’t remember them all,” Boomer admitted.
Perhaps most knowledgeable repairing all types of hay balers, Boomer said,” I worked on about everything at one time or another. I could usually figure it out and get something going again.”
Every color of implement was included but there’s a certain prejudice against “green.” He admitted, “I worked on them. even helped farmers operating the green machines, but I didn’t particularly like it.”
Generally, about five employees including Doc and Boomer worked at the dealership. Boomer’s brother Rod Buchman was a salesman for the family implement business a few years. Another brother Terry never took an equipment interest.
Boomer’s now grown sons Kenny and Lance helped out occasionally but have generally not been part of the business. “I have two granddaughters, which I’m quite proud of,” Grandpa commented.
Enjoying hunting from an early age, Boomer was a near deadeye shooter of quail, prairie chicken and pheasants. “I enjoyed hunting with a good dog and had four great Britney’s,” he said. “Too bad there aren’t many upland game birds left anymore, but they’re coming back I think.”
When a trap shooting club formed at Council Grove, Boomer joined with weekly practices. Before long he could break a hundred out of a hundred blue rock.
“I went to competitions all around and had some good days,” he noted. “Our local team won major trapshooting events for several years.”
On a hunting outing when Boomer was outshooting others, he was challenged: “I can beat you on the golf course.”
Never backing away from competition, Boomer was soon playing golf too, often outscoring the winning regulars.
“I enjoy playing golf, but interestingly it started me in the golfcart business, too,” Boomer said. “I began doing repair work and before long I had about all I could handle, but started selling them, too.”
Corporations became more prevalent in the farm machinery business. “It’s hard for a smalltown dealer to compete with them, so I turned to repairing and selling golfcarts,” Boomer said.
A major distributor of the E-Z-Go brand golfcarts, Boomer has a shop filled with all brands of golfcarts to repair.
“They come from about everywhere, all over Kansas and several states,” he said. “If they want me to repair their golfcart, I usually can, but they can’t get in a hurry. Sometimes it takes quite a while to work out the problem.”
Besides owning a widely recognized smalltown business, Boomer is a major community servant. He’s chief of the fire department serving as a volunteer fireman several decades.
“It’s pretty hectic sometimes, especially when ranchers are burning pastures,” Boomer said. “Whenever there’s a local emergency the fire department often gets called. You have to go at all times of the day.
Garfield Township south of Alta Vista employs Boomer to maintain roads. “That includes mowing roadsides and plowing snow, too,” he said.
Active leader in the Masonic Lodge, Boomer performs the Masonic ritual at a lot of funerals. “I don’t know how many over the years, but too many,” he acknowledged.
His classic shiny burgundy 1970 Pontiac Lemans convertible is well-known around the community. “I got it from banker Fred Clark in 1990. There’s only 130,000 miles on it, but some repair work is needed now,” Boomer noted.
Across the alley in a garage is his grandma’s 1946 Plymouth with 41,437 miles. “I have people wanting to buy my cars, but they’re not for sale,” Dodge pickup driver Boomer said.
Say “Boomer” about anywhere especially around Alta Vista, everybody knows him.
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