It was a beautiful day to honor a man with a great history of serving students.

An estimated 300 people gathered on a sunny Sunday afternoon to honor Dr. D. Kent King, Rolla School District’s former superintendent, for whom the district named its administration building.

“The family thanks each and every one of you,” said Joe Gorman, who spoke on behalf of the King family. “But Dr. King, we want to thank you for being our friend, our mentor and our leader. As the Rolla Daily News has said, ‘You are truly the King of education.’”

It was Gorman and Attorney Tom Thomas who presented the idea of honoring King by naming the district’s administrative building after him.

Those honoring King were numerous.
Superintendent Dr. Jerry Giger, Deputy Superintendent Aaron Zalis and many other educators with whom King has served with during his long career.

Outgoing Rolla High School Principal Roger Berkbuegler said in the tradition of the other district school buildings, King joins such greats as Col. Wyman, Harry S. Truman and Mark Twain.

King now holds a state educators position as  Commissioner of Education, a post he assumed on Sept. 22, 2000, by the Missouri Board of Education.

King has served more than 40 years, in Missouri’s public-education system, serving as teacher, principal, superintendent and state education official.

At 64, King is recovering from cancer patient, but that has hardly slowed him.

There was a short program with speakers, Tom Thomas, Rolla attorney and former school board member, Roger Berkbuegler, principal of Rolla High School and Zalis, the deputy superintendent.

The Rolla High School Choir and students from Wyman Elementary also sang for King.
After the ceremony guests toured the building and to enjoy a reception with cake and refreshments.

King and his wife, Sandy, have three grown children, one of whom, Tracy, is a teacher at Wyman Elementary School.