Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Robert Kahle, 84, Baldwin City, Kansas, died Sunday, February 28, 2010, at a hospital in Lawrence, Kansas.
Robert was born April 14, 1925. Precocious, with a vivid interest in Math, Science and Music, he played the organ for a number of churches in the Topeka area. His initial studies at the University of Kansas were interrupted by early enlistment, following the Pearl Harbor attack. Bob joined the U.S. Navy, seeing extensive action in the Pacific Theater of operations. He was present for major actions in Guadalcanal, Guam, and Okinawa. Following this service, Bob returned to studies at the University of Kansas and Washburn University, ultimately earning Masters of Art degrees in German and English Literature. Bob subsequently spent much of the decade of the 1950s in New York City, where he was on the staff of Bellevue Hospital. He returned to Kansas and an appointment as an Associate Professor of German at Baker University in 1963.
Baker provided a field for Bob to blossom. He taught German, English, Senior Seminar and introduction to Computing courses in addition to stints as the Acting Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Director of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies. Bob added to this frequent service as organist for the First United Methodist Church in Baldwin City, as well as occasional outings as a thespian with the Baker University Theater Department. Bob’s work helped establish the Baker Performing Arts series and he guided the establishment of the Baker Faculty Hall of Fame. He lived in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house at Baker for many years as the “House Father.” All the while, Bob continued to play the organ for weddings and other church or cultural events in addition to appearances at the piano or harpsichord keyboards.
Retirement saw continued intellectual ferment. Bob helped found the reading group, the Order of the Apollonian Frenzy. Numerous students and faculty at Baker retain fond memories of Bob’s influence.
He is survived by his brothers, Jack (Farol), Wilsonville, OR, and Don (Jeanne), Billings, MT, as well as long-time companion, Chris Hamill, Baldwin, KS.
In 2007 a scholarship in foreign language study was established in Bob’s name at Baker University. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Robert Kahle Endowed Scholarship for Language Majors are requested.
Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.