Roger Dale Kullenberg

KULLENBERG, Roger D. Of Kalamazoo, Michigan Roger Kullenberg passed away on April 30, 2011, in Kalamazoo, with his daughters at his side. Roger was born July 10, 1930, in Mishawaka, Indiana, to the late Garfield W. and Katherine M. Kullenberg. Roger grew up in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and graduated in 1948 from Benton Harbor High School, where he was a member of the varsity basketball and tennis teams, the Hi-Y club, the choir, and the boys' glee club. Roger attended the Benton Harbor Junior College (predecessor to Lake Michigan College, Benton Harbor, Michigan), from 1948 to 1950, and earned an Associate of Arts Degree, while working as an assistant sports editor at the Benton Harbor News-Palladium under the tutelage of the late Harold "Bud" Shively. During this time, Roger also played basketball for the state-champion Redskins, traveled to Hutchinson, Kansas for the 1949 National Tournament, was the team's leading scorer in his sophomore year, and received All State Honorable Mention. Through his work at the News Palladium, Roger developed a strong lifelong passion for the newspaper business, and entered Michigan State University in 1950, graduating with a BA in journalism in 1952. While at MSU, Roger worked for the college newspaper (The State News), wrote copy for the Lansing State Journal, and was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, a professional journalism fraternity. Roger met Patricia A. Wilson in March of 1952, and the two were married in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in October of 1952. Roger served in the army from 1953 to 1956, achieving the rank of Infantry First Lieutenant, with assignments in Colorado, Texas, and Kansas. After completing military service, Roger joined the Kalamazoo Gazette as a reporter, and covered police, medical, court, and local government stories. In 1961, Roger won first place in the Michigan Associated Press for news-writing, and subsequently went on to become Assistant City Editor and Editorial Page Editor for the Kalamazoo Gazette. In 1983, Roger was appointed Managing Editor of the Muskegon Chronicle. In 1988, Roger returned to the Kalamazoo Gazette as Assistant to the Publisher, at which point he undertook many important community projects and served as mentor to many young reporters. Roger's 50-plus year career in journalism brought him face-to-face with Presidents Truman, Ford, Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Clinton. Roger covered the Kalamazoo Tornado of May 1980, annual elections, the annexation controversies of the 1950s, and desegregation of the Kalamazoo public schools. Although he retired from full-time work in 1995, Roger continued to write editorials for the Gazette until January of this year. Roger's community activities include service on the boards of Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, the Rotary Club, the Greater Kalamazoo United Way, and the Lake Michigan College Alumni Association. Roger and his wife helped organize the Kalamazoo chapter of Parents of Children With Cancer in Southwestern Michigan. In addition to his rich and accomplished career as a newspaperman, Roger also co-authored two books about the history of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo County Chamber of Commerce. In 2005, Roger received the Lake Michigan College Clarence Beckwith Distinguished Alumni Award. Roger is survived by three daughters, Laura Kullenberg, who is currently the Country Manager for the World Bank in Juba, Southern Sudan; Ann Kullenberg, a mathematics teacher, of Frankfort, Michigan; and Amy Kullenberg, an attorney, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; a sister, Marilyn Egan of Venice, Florida; a brother-in-law, Howard Egan, of Livonia, Michigan; a sister-in-law, Grace Gamble, of Norman, Oklahoma; a brother-in-law, Alex R. Wilson (Helen) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and many beloved nieces and nephews. Roger was predeceased by his wife Patricia in January 2010, and by his son-in-law, Quentin Sherwood, of Frankfort, Michigan, in 2002. Arrangements for cremation have been made by the Avink Funeral Home of Schoolcraft, Michigan. Interment will be at the Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo. A memorial service will be held in Kalamazoo during May 2011, and service details will be available via an online memorial to be established at www.avinkcremation.com. Memorial/tribute donations may be made in honor of Roger Kullenberg to Sigma Delta Chi Foundation for Journalism at www.spj.org