FEATURED STORY
FSU Legacy Families: Meet the Kirks
Editor’s Note: We know that, for many of you, Frostburg State University is a family tradition. We see the recurring legacy names. We hear the stories from the generations of families. The FSU Office of Alumni Relations has decided to feature a few of these remarkable families in Profile. If you are part of a “Frostburg State University Legacy Family,” be sure to let us know at alumni@frostburg.edu.
BY TY DEMARTINO ’90
James Kirk ’18 was this close to attending the University of Maryland College Park and breaking his family’s Frostburg tradition.
“I took one last tour and it didn’t feel right,” James said about a late-spring trip to the Maryland campus. “I had this weird feeling that I had not looked close enough at Frostburg.”
That “feeling” may have been James’ ancestors quietly pulling him toward their Western Maryland alma mater. His mother and father attended Frostburg State, as did both sets of his grandparents. When James took part in FSU’s summer orientation for first-year students, he finally realized his destiny.
“This was absolutely where I wanted to be,” he remembered. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
James knows his reasons for choosing FSU were different from his parents’ and grandparents’. Proximity, affordability and resources all came into play when his family members weighed their decisions about higher education.
“Today, it’s easy to pick a college anywhere in the country and go there,” James said, noting that the Kirks are long-time residents of Allegany County and were fortunate to have a four-year institution within reach. “For my grandparents, growing up in the Depression, Frostburg was there. They were able to access affordable education.”
“The connection is something we both really cherish.”
James’ Frostburg family tree reaches back to his fraternal and maternal grandparents. It looks like this: James’ fraternal grandfather was the late legendary basketball coach and NJCAA and Bobcat Hall of Famer Robert “Bob” Kirk ’57/M’66. Bob earned his education degrees and worked as a coach and college athletic director at Allegany College of Maryland. Bob’s wife, and James’ grandmother, is Darlene Hiett Kirk, a nurse, now retired, who received her training at the former Memorial Hospital in Cumberland. Darlene also attended science classes at Frostburg in the late ’50s.
On the other side of the tree, James’ maternal grandfather was the late James Kelly, Jr. ’59/M’65. Jim earned his education degrees and was a teacher and school administrator. His wife, Mary Frances Deluca Kelly ’59, also graduated with an education degree and is now retired from teaching.
James’ father, Jeff Kirk ’89/M’07, earned his accounting degree and MBA at FSU and is the dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Allegany College of Maryland. James’ mother, Theresa Kelly Kirk ’88/M’93, followed her parents’ path with education degrees. She is now a retired elementary teacher from the Allegany County Public School System. Jeff and Theresa’s oldest son, Jeffrey T. “J.T.” Kirk II, who has autism, “didn’t have the opportunity to attend college in a traditional sense,” noted his brother James. However, J.T. is considered an honorary Bobcat and has come to the FSU campus for many events and celebrations.
Robert “Bob” Kirk ’57/M’66
Darlene Hiett Kirk
James Kelly, Jr. ’59/M’65
Mary Frances Deluca Kelly ’59
The Kirk family tree has offshoots to various uncles, aunts and cousins. James kept one significant branch of the family tree legacy alive when he was elected as president of the campus Student Government Association – a position that William “Bill” Kirk ’55, James’ uncle and Bobcat Hall of Famer, also held when he attended Frostburg.
During his FSU days, James was a Bobcat Ambassador for FSU Admissions, served as a legislative intern through the Beall Institute for Public Affairs and acted as a Student Alumni Ambassador. James met his fiancée, Nicole Leighty ’18/M’20, at FSU. Nicole studied mass communication and parks, recreation and sport management. She is an athletic communications professional. Being rooted in the campus helped James value his family’s Frostburg tradition. He bloomed here.
William “Bill” Kirk ’55
Jeff Kirk ’89/M’07
Theresa Kelly Kirk ’88/M’93
Nicole Leighty ’18/M’20 and James Kirk ’18
“I grew to appreciate Frostburg and my family’s history and tradition with Frostburg State,” said James. “It had an influence on me.”
When he graduated from FSU summa cum laude with a political science and economics degree, James was hired as a development officer for FSU’s University Advancement. The families created the Kirk-Kelly Family Scholarship for undergraduate students and residents of Allegany County who demonstrate active participation and leadership in campus extra-curricular activities. They hope the scholarship may inspire others to create their own Frostburg legacies.
James left his FSU position to pursue his doctorate in political science at Notre Dame in Indiana with the goal of becoming a college professor. While there will be a degree from another institution hanging on a Kirk wall, James and Nicole don’t plan to let the Frostburg relationship lapse.
“The connection is something we both really cherish,” James said.
To make a gift in support of the Kirk-Kelly Family Scholarship, call the FSU Foundation at 301-687-4068 or visit the Foundation web site.