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Trainee Program’s Founder Wanted Others to Have Opportunities
Remembering Major Ken Conklin
November 2004

Even the most optimistic, resolute person surely would have tipped his cap to Major Ken “K.C.” Conklin, founder of the trainee program at the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education. Looking back on his service in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, Conklin described the experience as “a break” that helped him turn his life around. Surveying the awesome challenge of building a maritime training center on a largely barren patch of southern Maryland land in 1967, Conklin once remarked —with a sincerity not to be questioned—“I had no doubts about the long-term success of the school.” That type of determination and can-do attitude characterized Conklin, who died Sept. 20 in Dover, Pa. at age 86. Family members and former co-workers remembered the retired Paul Hall Center vice president as tough but generous, indomitable but understanding—the type of man who could view wartime military service as a blessing. Most of all, they recalled his fondness for the Paul Hall Center, a facility that has evolved into a premier maritime school enhanced by academic curriculums including GED and college degree programs. Much of that growth took place during Conklin’s tenure, from 1967 until he retired in 1993. “Right until his absolute dying breath, he was (connected to) Piney Point,” said Conklin’s daughter, Andrea, herself a longtime employee at the school before moving last year to care for her parents. “He remained ever in Piney Point—that was the love of his life.” SIU President Michael Sacco, who served as the school’s vice president from 1968 to 1978, said Conklin “was a hard-working, dedicated guy. He brought that Marine spirit and discipline. He instituted (the trainees) marching to and from class, posting the colors. He was a tough commandant, but someone you could go to if you had a problem.” The school’s current vice president, Don Nolan, also met Conklin in 1968 during the facility’s earliest days. “He was our very first commandant and one of the most committed and tireless individuals I’ve seen in my entire life,” Nolan recalled. “He’s a person no one will forget. People who haven’t been to the school for 30 years come back and ask about him. He was a true mentor.” Bart Rogers, head of the manpower office at Piney Point, pointed out that despite the school’s commendable growth and virtually mandatory broadening, “The basis of the school is the trainee program, and the foundation for the program is K.C. It’s really that simple. The system and procedures he put in place are still there today.” Rogers, who met Conklin in 1980, described him as a father figure with remarkable attention to detail. “His organizational skills were incredible,” Rogers said. “They’d bring 50 kids in for a class, and the next day he’d be calling each one of them by name.” Paul Hall Center Safety Director Jim Hanson said Conklin “was very dedicated to the kids and the school. It seemed like he was always here and he loved it very much. You could feel it.” Sharon Farr worked for Conklin for more than 10 years. “He had a gruff exterior, but he wasn’t all that gruff, once you got to know him. He had a soft heart and he cared about everybody who worked here,” Farr stated. During a shipboard meeting a week after Conklin’s death, the crew of the LNG Libra wrote, “He was a good man and made us understand the steps that we were taking in our lives. Many of us knew the Major from attending the school, either as trainees or upgraders. He taught us about loyalty and the meaning of the U.S. Merchant Marine. He showed us to walk tall and be proud.” Thomas Horton, an accomplished television documentary producer who served under Conklin during World War II, called him “the best Marine officer I ever knew. He was such a straight shooter, never bragged or tried to impress you. It was his job to keep us on the narrow path of doing a good job.” Ken Conklin was born in Clifton, N.J. He served in the Marine Corps from 1941 to 1964, retiring as a major. He was hired by the late SIU President Paul Hall to start the original training program at the Lundeberg School, later renamed for Hall. Conklin is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jane Conklin. He also is survived by daughter Andrea McCranie; two sons, boatman Craig Conklin and QMED Kevin Conklin, both active Seafarers; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and a sister, Rita Ryerson. Funeral services were scheduled for Oct. 28 at the Fort Belvoir (Va.) Chapel, followed by burial at the Arlington National Cemetery. The family encourages a donation in his name to a charity of one’s choice.

Tough Commandant Took Pleasure In Helping Trainees Ken Conklin had a strict air befitting a retired U.S. Marine Corps major who served in two wars, but his greatest professional joy was anything but tough. “My father was absolutely committed to giving anybody who may be on the wrong track the break they needed to turn themselves around,” noted his daughter, Andrea. “He and his brother and sister were orphaned very young. As he put it, he and his brother kind of ran wild after they were orphaned. He had influences in his life that he credits with turning him around. “When he went into service to help found Piney Point, the thing that most appealed to him was the opportunity to give people a break, an opportunity.” During a 1992 interview for an article on the school’s 25th anniversary, Conklin said, “Working with young people is a big part of what attracted me to this job. The truth is there’s nothing wrong with the youth of today. It’s just that we, as adults, don’t have enough time to talk with them. “The reason I’ve stuck with it all these years is, helping people. We’re in the business of giving people an opportunity to better themselves— financially, educationally, every way.” Conklin believed that unyielding effort plays a big part in success. “You’re going to run into a roadblock, and you can either go under, over, around or through,” he said. “But don’t quit. You can do anything you want to do, if you want it badly enough.”