Gregg Kindle, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, died Sunday after a months-long battle with cancer. He was 48.
Kindle was a member of the Student Affairs residential life staff at NU for 22 years. He managed residence hall programs, supervised residence hall assistants and coordinators, and advised fraternities and sororities.
Assistant Director of Residential Life Jaime Jimenez remembers Kindle as an “easy-going and fun” supervisor.
“The entire staff would be in a meeting, talking about something serious, and he would say something right along with that was funny, with that dry sense of humor of his,” Jimenez said. “It would make us laugh every time. That was a real gift he had.”
Kindle died from a rare lymphoma with his family at his side at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Born in Berwyn, Ill., he grew up on the Southwest Side of Chicago. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in higher education from Bowling Green State University.
“Gregg Kindle has been one of the pillars in our campus community,” William Banis, vice president for student affairs, said in a statement. “He has been a key contributor in shaping and improving the quality of student life for several generations of Northwestern students.
“He touched our lives professionally and personally, and we shall miss him greatly,” Banis said.
Jimenez said, “It’s going to take a lot of getting used to for all of us without him in this office.” Mary Goldenberg, who served as interim director while Kindle battled his illness, will continue to serve as head of the department.
Former Residence Hall Association president Grant Pauly worked with Kindle closely during his term three years ago. The Weinberg senior called Kindle “probably the easiest administrator to work with” as a student.
“He just understood where (students) were coming from,” Pauly said. “He was very good at finding the balance between what students wanted and what was best for the entire school.”
A campus memorial service for Kindle is scheduled for Jan. 9, at 3 p.m. at the Alice Millar Chapel.
He is survived by his wife, Joan; brothers Glen and Gary; sister Denise; and his two sons, Evan and Jordan. The Kindle family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at NU.
