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Making education possible for the next generation
(Posted April 29, 2026)
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Karl Kindig, yearbook photo from 1972
Karl Kindig, yearbook photo from 1972
Karl Kindig ’72 endows four-year scholarship to support students
HUNTINGDON, PA – When young Karl Kindig ’72 visited the Juniata campus in the spring of 1969, he could not have known how the College would change the trajectory of his life.
In the spirit of giving back, Kindig and his wife Rhonda have established a scholarship to relieve the costs of tuition for selected students. The Karl and Rhonda Kindig Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a first-year student at Juniata College with preference for graduates of Clearfield High School or a high school located in Clearfield County. Students may continue to receive this scholarship after their first year if they remain in good academic standing.
Kindig’s potential was evident even as he was a high school senior applying to college. He was recommended for the Richard M. Simpson Memorial scholarship at Juniata, a “full-ride” when tuition was $1600 a year. It was “tremendous not having to worry about how to pay for college,” Kindig said in a recent interview. The letter offering the scholarship, signed by President John Stauffer, indicated that Kindig was selected not only for his academic achievements but for how his career might be in “service to mankind.”
Kindig wanted to start immediately and moved to campus early so that he could take summer classes. He vividly remembers the survey course on world cultures taught by a team including Steve Barbash, Betty Ann Cherry, and Bruce Davis ’65 called “Great Epochs in World Cultures.” The textbook, Arts and Ideas, was a “doorstop” of a book but opened up a whole new world that fascinated him. Kindig started college focused on physics but graduated with a degree in economics, which brought together social science and his love of math. Courses with Earl Kaylor ’46, Bruce Davis ’65, and especially history courses with Kenneth Crosby and Philbrook Smith further expanded his horizons. But nothing was more challenging than the two-semester course in microeconomics with Ron Cherry ’53, Kindig remembered. “That was the most demanding course I have ever taken, anywhere. It was amazing,” he said.
During his time on campus, Kindig served as a student representative on the task force reviewing the College’s curriculum. This became an opportunity to work directly with faculty members and wrestle with important questions about how the curriculum should be structured. “That ended up being an education in and of itself,” Kindig said. Some of what the task force developed still exists today and Juniata’s distinctive Program of Emphasis came out of that restructuring.
Following graduation from Juniata, Kindig studied law at New York University. With the encouragement of Professor Crosby and a strong letter of recommendation from President Stauffer, once again Kindig was the recipient of a competitive scholarship that made his education possible. The Root-Tilden (now the Root-Tilden-Kern) scholarship is awarded to a student based on academic excellence, potential for leadership, and commitment to public service. Kindig went on to have a very successful career serving as vice president of corporate development and general counsel for Pittston Minerals Group and then moved into the position of president, a role he held from 1995-1998. He has served on several boards, including the Nature Conservancy in Virginia, and most recently the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia, focused on improving health, workforce and economic development, and education in the region.
Kindig has actively supported Juniata College over several decades. He served on the College’s Uncommon Outcomes Fundraising Campaign, Alumni Council, and the President’s Development Council and Presidential Search Committee. He became a member of the Board of Trustees of Juniata College in 1994 and served in that role until 2008. Over the years he has also been a generous financial supporter of the College.
When asked what advice he would give to current students, Kindig said: “Keep an open mind. Don’t make career decisions too quickly… Don’t make up your mind what your life is going to be like at 18 years old.” He sees the value of a liberal arts education as going beyond merely training for a future job. “For me, my life and career have not been a straight line. Things have happened to me, things that you can’t plan for,” Kindig reflected. “Being educated gives you some bandwidth to deal with it.” Now retired from his law practice, Kindig lives with his wife Rhonda in Abingdon, Va.
If you are interested in learning more about how to endow a scholarship, please contact the Advancement office at Juniata College, by email at advancement@juniata.edu or by calling Mat Stoudnour, associate vice president for advancement at (814) 641-3191.
Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.