SGA senator for life Felix Kinsley has attended SEMO student government meetings for four decades

~ Felix Kinsley has attended SEMO student government meetings for four decades

By Marissa Fawcett ~ The Arrow

Felix Kinsley, 61, pulls his red Southeast Redhawks hoodie over his head, situates his thick, large-frame glasses and grabs his black three-prong binder filled with his neatly organized papers.

As he's about to leave for his evening walk to campus from his North Sprigg Street home, he catches a glimpse of his 12 plaques hanging on the wall of his bedroom, collecting dust from years of being displayed.

It's close to 5:30 p.m., which means Kinsley has to get going so he has plenty of time to spare before the 7 p.m. Student Government Association meeting.

Being the first one to the Center for Student Involvement in the University Center, Kinsley waits patiently at a conference table in anticipation of the arrival of his committee members and the beginning of meetings. His wait is usually an hour to an hour and a half long.

The honorary SGA senator sticks to the same schedule every Monday.

Dedication

Kinsley has missed just one meeting this year and meetings from 1983 to 1985 because of medical reasons.

Since Kinsley graduated in 1978, he has kept returning to campus for SGA and other organizations he is a part of on campus.

"Felix is also an incredible inspiration to anyone that meets him," SGA vice president Greg Felock said in an email. "He shows a dedication to student government that is not matched by anyone I know, and it really is contagious. Felix really has become a huge part of our student government family."

Kinsley has been attending SGA meetings since 1980, but not for the awards or plaques he gets each year.

"The reason I go to the meetings is because I want to go to the meetings," Kinsley said.

Because of his years of involvement, Kinsley was named an honorary senator in 2000.

"Well, the way I became an honorary senator, it was almost an accident," Kinsley said. "I was talking to senate back in 2000. I had been going to the student government meetings off and on since 1980, and I told them that and I didn't think anything would come of it or that I would be honored for it."

Kinsley was completely shocked when his name was called at the student government banquet announcing that he would become the first honorary senator.

"I looked up and everybody in the room at their tables is standing up and applauding," Kinsley said. "I had never gotten a standing ovation before, never. I thought I'd have to climb Mount Everest backwards or something to get a standing ovation."

Kinsley has been awarded a plaque for being an active honorary senator every year since -- a total of 12.

"I hang them [the plaques] up," Kinsley said. "You walk into my room and those aren't the only ones up there -- there are ones from high school -- but the most important ones are. You'd think I'm on a super ego trip or something, but, I mean, what do you do? There's not room in my drawers for them."

Kinsley explained another reason he keeps coming to the meetings each year is because he likes to do things for the university since he wasn't as active in high school.

"I just kept statistics for the football and baseball teams in high school," Kinsley said. "I wasn't in anything like student government or anything like that and, I don't know, I like being with the students and I like keeping this connection to the university."

Kinsley is on the University Affairs committee in SGA but is not employed by the university and does not get to vote on issues at the meetings.

He said he looks at his role on the committee as his job though.

Kinsley also has become a professional member of Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional fraternity for those interested in the chemical sciences. Kinsley learned of the fraternity through SGA when Alpha Chi Sigma requested funding for an event.

"I got to make some new friends there [in Alpha Chi Sigma] too," Kinsley said.

Kinsley also volunteers for History Day, an annual event that brings high school students to campus to learn about different time periods.

Outside the university

Kinsley stays involved with the local government by sitting in at city council meetings.

He started attending city council meetings when he was a newspaper carrier in 1985. He had concerns about his compensation and went to the meeting to get the issue resolved. He's kept going back every chance he gets since.

"For a while, I was the unofficial liaison from city council to student government," Kinsley said.

He became such a familiar face that city officials, like mayor Harry Rediger, have come to know Kinsley quite well.

"Well he's always upbeat and has a smile on his face, always interested in what's going on and attentive," Rediger said. "He's just a joy to be around."

Rediger recalled several conversations with Kinsley in the car while driving him home after city council meetings.

"We would talk in the car about the meeting, questions he had and he was always very appreciative for the ride home," Rediger said.

Kinsley also has been awarded with a commemorative medal by the city of Cape Girardeau.

"I just wish more citizens were that involved," Rediger said.

This year Kinsley has not been able to make as many city council meetings because they are the same night as the SGA meetings.

"They know when I'm not there, I'm here," Kinsley said while waiting for the SGA meeting to begin.

Kinsley is also a member of Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's service group.

His schedule may seem busy and hectic having to balance SGA meetings, city council meetings, Knights of Columbus, Alpha Chi Sigma and being a member of the historic preservation commission, but Kinsley said he likes it that way.

"Yeah, I do [like staying busy]. Although, I like taking it easy for a while sometimes," Kinsley said. "I don't want to be too active."

Over the past 33 years, Kinsley has been able to witness several changes in SGA and said there has been more controversy recently than there used to be. One of the biggest changes he has noticed is how many more papers are given out at the meetings.

"They pass out papers frantically, but there's a hole punch so I can put them in my notebook," Kinsley said. "Then the next week they come by, and the senators have more papers and do it all over again."

Even with having to carry a thicker binder of papers, Kinsley still plans to keep coming to SGA meetings as long as he can with no plans of resigning any time soon.

"They like me," Kinsley said. "I mean, it was always that way."

Pertinent address:

1 University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Mo.