Kevin Kleine has been part of my story for nearly 30 years, as my adviser, professor, Cabin Log adviser, Carrier adviser and friend. He also happened to be married to the amazing Jenny and trusted me enough to babysit his kids, which says a lot. At Berry, Kevin gave me a choice between two paths, Cabin Log or Carrier editor. Then he did what great advisers do and gently but firmly pushed me toward the harder one. That year taught me leadership, humility and how to earn respect the hard way. When life presents tough choices, I still hear Kevin’s voice reminding me growth rarely comes from the easy road. Berry will miss his laugh, his humor and his unmatched ability to dance on a speaker in Georgetown. 

– Donna J. Braden (96C)

The greatest impacts live beyond headlines and awards; they are felt in the people they inspire. In his 38 years at Berry College, Kevin Kleine has shaped not only the Campus Carrier, but also the students behind 
every story. My time at the Carrier and in Berry’s Communication Department transformed my college experience for the better. Kevin brought joy, encouragement and unwavering support into every room. I wouldn’t be the person, professional or writer I am today without him. Kevin’s true legacy is written in the lives he has changed. Thank you! – Taylor Corley (22C)

A quick story….

My first job was at a newspaper in Pennsylvania. Kevin’s mom and dad were at Eastern Kentucky University, which was pretty much on my route to the new job. It was a two-day drive. Kevin arranged for me to spend the night at his parents’ house so I didn’t have to pay for a hotel. It was a big deal for me at that point because I had no money. They were incredibly kind to me. 

Berry has changed so much since I’ve been gone, mostly for the better. Our basketball teams played in Ford because there was no Cage Center. Cook was the science building. The townhouses were brand new… there was a trailer park on that part of campus. Someone was in their tub when it fell through the floor, so the administration had the townhouses built. The dorms weren’t co-ed; visiting hours ended at midnight on weekdays and 1 am on weekends. So the townhouses were in high demand. Victory Lake was still a lake (but draining often). What’s now the conference center at WinShape still housed cows that had to be milked. Carrier offices were upstairs in Krannert. All communication classes were in Evans (which was known as Trustees back then).

My favorite anecdote is about a fundraising event called “A Day for Berry.” It was aimed at raising money from the local community and nearby alumni. They planned a big celebration for the evening at the president’s house. We found out they were using home-ec (yes, we still had that) students at servers…. and they got trained on how to serve wine. We snuck a photographer in and ran a story about it. And we editorialized about the hypocrisy of serving alcohol at a Berry event. The lead in our editorial: A Day for Berry turned into a night for Ernest and Julio. As soon as we put the papers in the racks, the administration came and collected them. And they intercepted our mailed copies that were going to the Chick-fil-A headquarters. Apparently Truett liked to read the Carrier back in the day. But not that issue. 

Going to Berry was so much fun. I have never regretted that decision. I hope your time at Berry has been wonderful. And I hope you have enjoyed editing the Carrier as much as I did. 

Best of luck to you as you go out into the world. I hope you leave with great memories and great relationships. I’m still struck by the fact that we were able to get to know our professors. 

Thanks for letting me walk down memory lane,

-Jim Moody (90C)

Kevin Kleine was the first member of Berry’s faculty to greet me as a wide-eyed freshman moving on campus early to start the 2007-2008 academic year working for the Campus Carrier as the Sports Editor.

Three and a half years later, he was the last faculty member I said goodbye to before packing my car and driving off campus, having completed the most impactful stretch of my life to that point.

Kevin Kleine and the Campus Carrier come to mind so often when I think about the time I spent at Berry between my arrival and graduation. He was a mentor, advisor and friend, and the Carrier was very much a family. I still reference the Carrier in job interviews when asked about “ideal workplace environments.”

Kevin had been at Berry long before I arrived, and he’s continued on for 15 years since I left (I cannot confirm whether or not he’s still driving his iconic blue Caddy). I always felt like Kevin was the Hagrid of the Berry community—with fewer dragons and a lot more caffeine-free Diet Coke.

When I got the news that Kevin would be retiring at the end of this academic year, I was flooded with memories of long nights in the Carrier office (formerly in the Ford Complex and then at Richards Gym), eating Bella Roma, listening to Kevin’s funk music playlist, recording and posting the weekly “Carrier Dance Party” to Facebook, and oh yeah…publishing a weekly student newspaper.

Kevin found a way to make the mundane fun, even off campus. If you haven’t seen Kevin do karaoke, you truly haven’t lived. And if you haven’t ridden a 15-passenger van with Kevin driving, you truly haven’t ever feared for your life.

But it was in my time as Editor-in-Chief of the Carrier during my last three semesters on campus that Kevin’s impact truly branded itself on me.

During my last semester at Berry, I made the decision to run a piece that offended a large portion of the Berry community. It ran in the first issue of the paper that year, and the blowback was tremendous.

In typical Kevin fashion, he did not offer advice until he was asked for it. But the advice he gave stuck with me for more than 15 years since.

“Own it, and promise to do better every opportunity you have moving forward.”

Kevin had done such a great job building our working relationship that I trusted him implicitly, ran with his advice, issued a campus-wide email apology, and the Carrier and Kyler Post came out on the other side having been changed for the better.

The only thing that gives me more joy than recounting the many memories I have of Kevin and the Carrier is knowing that Kevin will be forced to read this through several times to check for edits.

Take it easy, Kev! You will be missed!

– Kyler post (10C)

When I was editor-in-chief, Wednesday production nights were my favorite for many reasons, but one comes to mind that perfectly captures Kevin Kleine. Around 9 p.m., I’d call Kevin and let him know that the paper was ready for his review. A short time later, we’d hear music in the hallway — Bruno Mars, Bill Withers, Ozzy Osbourne —and Kevin would come dancing through the door, ready to ask questions and point out details that countless rounds of student review had missed. This is Kevin in a nutshell: joyful, sometimes silly, and ready at any moment to help his students. Kevin, thank you for teaching us to find joy in the work and for helping shape so many young journalists. Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement!

-Cassie LaJeunesse (20C)

It’s been over thirty years since you became my academic adviser, instructor and Ramifications work supervisor. Since then, we’ve birthed countless publications with everything from darkrooms to digital photography, Exacto knives to Adobe software, proportion wheels to grease pencils, and picas to pixels. You’ve followed my life and never stopped being my mentor. The footprint of this campus and the halls of Laughlin have been forever changed for the work you have done to develop students and archive Berry history through student media. Vikings worldwide are better because of you. Thank you. Happy retirement!

-Allison Brown Hattaway (99C),Ramifications Editor (96-98)

I was the Carrier editor in Kevin’s first year at Berry. We’d been through a really difficult experience where a horrible advisor disappeared over Christmas break (we didn’t believe the administration was listening to us, but they were). For the last half of the year, we had an editor from the Rome News-Tribune advise us, and then the next fall Kevin showed up. He was a breath of fresh air, and we all loved him. He brought stability and wisdom. Plus he had cute kids. He quickly got us on the right path, and his joyful personality made production nights at the Carrier fun. He took quite a leap of faith coming to Berry on a non-tenure track job where his predecessor had been fired. He made such a difference, even in that first year. I’m thankful for my time with him, and I’m so happy to see the wonderful legacy he’s leaving at Berry. 

-Jim Moody (90C)