The College community mourns the tragic death of recent graduate Jeff Klein ’09 on Nov. 9 near his home in Chappaqua, N.Y. A line of loving friends and family went out the door and down the block at the 23-year-old’s wake on Nov. 12 in Pleasantville, N.Y., and many gathered again at Klein’s funeral on Nov. 13 at the Church of Christ the Savior in Rye, N.Y.
Klein may be best remembered for his great love of sports — playing them, watching them and writing about them. During his four years at Middlebury, Klein spent two years as a Sports Editor for The Campus, wrote a sports column called “J.K. Rollin,” avidly covered the men’s basketball beat and played intramural basketball and doubles tennis. Even after college, Klein maintained his passion for sports writing with a blog which he called “Talkin’ Sports.”
“Jeff was generally a pretty easygoing guy, but you could tell by how animated he got when he talked about the teams he loved that he had that kind of devotion, and he was such a good writer that he was really able to relay that through his articles, so that anyone reading could really feel all the suspense and energy and passion of a particular game,” said Tess Russell ’10, a fellow editor of The Campus with Klein.
Aside from his passion for athletics, Klein was also deeply invested in his studies. A history major with a minor in economics, Klein completed an honors thesis called “The Ghetto Riots and Black Power Movement in 1960s America” and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
“A very able student, Jeff Klein was also a very nice, friendly person,” said Klein’s adviser, Dean of Faculty and Rehnquist Professor of American History and Culture Jim Ralph. “As a historian, he was fascinated by American race relations…He was a pleasure to work with. He enjoyed the intellectual challenge of putting together the pieces of the past…As with so many others, my thoughts at this moment are with his family.”
While many knew Klein for his sports writing and academic prowess, his affable nature and kind heart reached out to many more. An active member of Kappa Delta Rho, Klein greatly valued time with his friends.
"Jeff Klein was one of the kindest people that I've had the pleasure to encounter,” said Patti Gomez ’11. “A fellow Kappa Delta Rho brother of mine, his stories were always a source of amusement and his support was unwavering… An incredible person to the core, his passing is a great tragedy."
“His sense of humor, above all, is what made him stand out for me,” said Hussein Alramini '09.
“Jeff was on a mission to instill laughter in the life of those around him. For the rest of my life I will have a memory of him that will put a smile on my face. Thank you Jeff and rest in peace my friend.”
After graduating from Middlebury, Klein worked as a paralegal and took the LSATs in preparation for law school. He is survived by his parents and two younger brothers.
College community mourns recent grad
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