KMI's Stormy Closing. . .

"KMI's Stormy Closing"

Major Hewes was quite proud of the fact that graduation ceremonies were always held with a great degree of decorum! He remembers that the "sun shines bright" on KMI graduation ceremonies for the entire 30 years that he was there, until May 1972, the first and only coed non-military graduation ceremony when a thunder storm broke out at commencement time! The guard house announced for seniors to report to Ormsby hall to pick up diplomas and everyone went home without fanfare. Because the school was no longer under state charter, the Governor probably wasn't present as in the past!

KMI closed for the Civil War, in 1890's and in 1924 after fires at both campuses!

Each time, like the “phoenix” the school was reincarnated.

Searching for and finding many ethnic names has brought me to the conclusion that Col Richmond capitalized on the need to educate ethnic youths. Spiraling inflation and America's becoming more of “a melting pot” probable would have killed Col. Richmond to see.

Col. Richmond, at his elderly age, held the school together as a budget prep school with a winter home in Florida!

Vietnam probably was the final contributing obstacle to survival after the death of Col. Richmond in 1968. Both KMI and Greenbrier closed in 1972.

It is my contention that timing made it an unsolvable conclusion!

I am glad that Col. Richmond did have to see the end!

I will always cherish the memories that he gave us.

"Timing" of the creation of Internet search engines has given us a new "Phoenix" of Memories!

I don't want to hear negative complaints about the demise of KMI or the people that took over in unsolvable times.

I do want to hear interesting stories of things that happened, without the negativism.

This just saved you from my giving a hillbilly delivery of thoughts in the form of an announcement at the reunion.

Frank Lively KMI ‘ 63

Kentucky Military Institute
www.kmialumni.org
Send e-mail to: kmimail@kmialumni.org