In her rich life, Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne, the former President of Jacksonville University, has acquired an impressive list of friends and admirers, from Bob Hope and Jack Benny to Arthur Fielder, Aaron Copland, Ross Perot and Steve Forbes. Corporate giants seek her council, and her accomplishments are endless. So, I was delighted when she called me in the Spring of 1998 about a visit to Southern California.
“It’ll be fun,” she promised. “I have to see Chuck (Charlton Heston), and of course Roger (Williams), and if you don’t mind, could you drive me to Palm Springs to see Bob (Hope) and President Ford.”
Uh, yeah, Fran, I think I can find a way to make that happen. Fran first met President Ford through her husband, Col. Harry Kinne, a senior officer on General Douglas MacArthur’s Pacific theatre staff. After commanding US efforts in the occupation and restoration of Germany after WW II, Col. Kinne and Fran relocated to Jacksonville. Fran became the Dean of Fine Arts at JU, the first female so designated in the country.
In Jacksonville, J.E, Davis, Founder of the Winn-Dixie supermarket chain, and his wonderful wife Flo, befriended the Kinnes. J.E, Davis was Gerald Ford’s fishing buddy, and the three men quickly became friends. By 1970, Fran Kinne was the first female university president in the state of Florida, and Gerald Ford was the Republican leader of the US House of Representatives. Seeking a college for their oldest son Jack, Gerald and Betty Ford entrusted him to Fran and JU.
Fran and I arrived at a guard gate in Rancho Mirage, a Palm Springs suburb where the Fords lived and the President had maintained an office since leaving Washington DC in the late 70s. I rolled down my window and announced, “Fran Kinne to see the President.”
“The President is waiting for you,” he responded, and honored Dr. Kinne with a crisp salute as the gate to the entrance rose in unison with his arm. I joked to Fran that I felt as if I were drivingMiss Daisy.
Once inside the reception area, Penny Circle, the President’s longtime administrative assistant, warmly greeted Fran. “The President is so looking forward to seeing you both,” Penny said leading us to the inner office. Fran was her normal self, bounding around the office, handing out boxes of her trademarked Godiva chocolates to every familiar face.
No comments:
Post a Comment