With a forced smile upon my face, I assured Dr. Kinnie that “Pictures at an Exhibition,” was one of my favorite pieces of music. A little queasy over my lie, but determined to get the looming moral blight off of my soul – and to avoid the abyss on which I teetered – I drove straight down University Boulevard to a music store, which to my delight had that particular LP album in stock. I bought the album, and played it through several times while reading the program notes on the jacket.
At the conclusion of her next class, I chose to be last in line to say goodbye. With the brightest of Ipana smiles (on that day at least), I assured a beaming Dr. Kinnie that the “Gates of Kiev,” was my favorite of Mussorgsky’s many memorable movements within “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
By then, I was telling the truth. Truth had brought about Paradise Regained. Dante’s Inferno would have to wait. The River Styx would remain uncrossed – at least to date. Her beaming smile sent me bounding back up Maslow’s hierarchy – well past self-realization.
I still have that album. I still treasure that album. We still warm to that smile. Such is the charisma of Dr. Fran Kinne.
Like many others over the years, I had experienced a Fran Kinne moment…disappointing her, in anything, was almost out of the question. Who can say “no” to Fran Kinne? Not many…thank goodness…because she does not ask or suggest or hint for herself. As all who have known her over the years will attest, Fran Kinne has noble goals that are pre-eminently worthy, ranging from advancing the human spirit through support of the arts to advancing the betterment of Jacksonville University and its educational programs and services.
Fran Kinne also has noble goals for all those with whom she interacts–their own personal growth. Long before the U.S. Army appropriated the phrase “be all you can be,” that was the message she was getting across when you were in her presence, physically or through some other medium. She also had the uncanny ability to impart the impression when you were with her that you were her “favorite.” You had her undivided attention, support and advocacy for anything that would advance your development or career–for which she was serving as a very enthusiastic cheerleader.
Fran Kinne was–and remains–the best teacher I’ve ever had, an assessment that I believe is shared by many others. I would hasten to add that of all the colleges and universities I’ve attended or taught at over the years, the teachers I had at JU remain among the very best–and certainly most memorable–of them all. Who can forget Dr. Joseph Hauber (German/Social Science), Wilma Horton (English), or Dr. James Fleek (Chemistry), and many others. It was, in my view, a great faculty with the strongest commitment to their students and their futures I’ve ever experienced.
Over the many years since that class, Fran Kinne has remained an inspiration to me and my wife, whom she encouraged to complete her graduate degree at age 40, which she did.
Many decades ago Dr. Kinne became a wonderful mentor and friend to my wife, Faith, regarding her studies, and an inspiring example for our daughters and now their children, as well. During a recent conversation with her, we laughed over the circumstances surrounding the Gates of Kiev…but that led me to a revelation, of sorts, regarding my other instructors at the then and the brand-new Jacksonville University.
Few human spirits have achieved the level of growth and development reached by Fran Kinne. Her life has been dedicated to education, support for the fine arts as representative of human creativity and expression, and unrelenting support for personal and professional growth.
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