DOBBINS READY TO CALL SHOTS

Ken Dobbins has the mentality of a baseball catcher. He likes to see the whole field.

"You have to know what pitch to call and when," said Dobbins, who played Little League baseball growing up in Akron, Ohio. "You have a vision of the whole field."

Mentally, the catcher is always in the game.

That mentality could serve him well as Southeast Missouri State University's 17th president.

Currently Southeast's executive vice president, he will take over the top spot on July 1.

The 49-year-old Dobbins couldn't be happier. The same holds true for his wife, Jeanine Larson Dobbins, and their son, Paul.

Paul, 19, just completed his freshman year at Southeast.

It's a close family. Ken and Jeanine are proud of their son and say so.

They also have a 14-year-old cat named Socks, but are quick to point out that they named their cat long before President Clinton's kitty became a household word.

Jeanine works at Southeast as the coordinator for the Missouri Statewide Early Literacy Intervention Program.

Like Ken, she grew up in Akron, a city 60 miles southeast of Cleveland.

"We were definitely both raised with Midwestern values," Jeanine said. "Where we grew up, you said, `hello.' You value faith and family and honesty, and a worth ethic and friends."

Those values are displayed in the backyard of their Cape Girardeau home where an old farm bell that had been in Jeanine's family for years guards a rose bed.

The Dobbins moved to Cape Girardeau in 1991 when Ken Dobbins was hired as vice president for finance and administration.

The friendliness of Cape Girardeau residents was one reason why Ken took the job. "Cape Girardeau has Midwestern values and Southern hospitality," he said.

They are glad there are an abundance of churches in the Cape Girardeau area. "The community has outstanding family values," he said.

Both Ken and Jeanine have been active in Christ Episcopal Church. He is a member of a number of civic clubs and boards.

Ken understands the importance of a college education. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Many of his relatives worked at the rubber plant in Akron. His stepfather was a machinist.

He had to work to pay for his college education. "I didn't know about financial aid."

He worked night shifts at the Wonder bread bakery in Akron to pay his tuition. The bakery job suited Ken, who loves to cook. His mother gave him a waffle iron for his 19th birthday.

The family grew up on the outskirts of Akron. The home was along a dirt road. "It was a very, very modest place," he remembered.

Both Ken and Jeanine attended the University of Akron. He was in the Air Force ROTC; she was in the ROTC auxiliary known as Angel Flight.

Angel Flight was a perfect fit for Jeanine, who has collected angels since second grade.

In the early 1970s, it wasn't popular to be in the ROTC. There were student protests against the Vietnam War.

"We couldn't wear uniforms our senior year in ROTC because it was so tense," he recalled.

After protesters at nearby Kent State were shot during an anti-war protest in May 1970, that university and the University of Akron both closed for a time.

Ken and Jeanine were married in August 1971. In January 1972, he began a brief career in the Air Force.

He was in the Air Force for 6 1/2 years and then worked for another three years as a civilian employee of the Air Force.

His tour of duty included 2 1/2 years at the Clark Air Base in the Philippines.

Ken worked as an Air Force auditor, conducting and managing audits at military installations throughout the world. But it was more than a numbers game.

"In the Audit Agency, we were more of a management consulting firm," he said. The work centered on three issues. "What are you doing? Why are you doing it and can we do it better?"

Jeanine worked as a teacher at the Clark Air Base. "She had a higher security clearance than I did," said Ken.

The couple regularly went on medical missions to the Philippine countryside where military personnel provided needed medical care for the people.

"We wanted to get a feel for what the average Philippine village was like," Jeanine explained.

The Dobbins' home on tree-lined Brookwood Drive reflects Ken's years in the military. A number of items from the Far East, including ceramic elephants that guard the fire place, decorate their home.

His career with the Air Force involved a lot of travel. When Paul was born in 1980, the Dobbins decided to settle down.

Ken left his auditing job in the military and took a job at Kent State as assistant director of financial affairs. The school had an enrollment of about 26,000.

"We lived, worked and played there for 10 years," said Jeanine.

He moved up to director of auditing at Kent State. Then the Southeast job came along and the Dobbins packed again and moved to Cape Girardeau.

"We were very glad to get out of the snow," said Jeanine.

Ken has served eight years as the university's chief financial officer. He said he is ready for his new job as university president.

"Sooner or later, I wanted to be a president," he said.