Faculty Retirements

In 2022 we said goodbye to three impactful faculty members—Drs. Kathy Clark, Rod Fort, and Tom Templin. Best wishes to them as they begin their post-Kinesiology lives.

BY JEAN HUNT

DR. KATHY CLARK

Dr. Kathy Clark (MVS MS ‘83, MVS PhD ‘90) came back to Kinesiology in 2011 as a Movement Science lecturer, and served as associate MVS program chair from 2017-2022. She held a dual appointment at the U-M Department of Aerospace Engineering from 2019-2022. In 2019, Clark was honored with the Kinesiology Students’ Excellence in Teaching Award. One of her students commented, “Dr. C. is tough, but cares so much about her students. She will push you to be your best but support you tremendously along the way. All-around my favorite professor at this university!”

After earning her PhD in 1990, Clark spent nine years as a research investigator with U-M Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. She then worked for several years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), including as a chief scientist working on the International Space Station and the Human Exploration for the Development of Space (HEDS). Movement Magazine: You worked for several years at NASA—what part of space travel interests you the most?

Kathy Clark: I started doing research for NASA from a U-M lab in 1993. I then went to NASA headquarters in 1998. I like astronomy, but my real passion is pathophysiological adaptations to space flight. MM: How did you meet your husband, Dr. Bob Ike? KC: I met Bob in a lab at the U-M. His advisor and mine wanted to do a project that eventually fell apart (it wasn’t physically possible to do), but Bob and I started dating shortly thereafter. That was in the winter of 1985. We got engaged in the summer, and married in October 1986. He retired from the U-M Medical School in July 2019.

MM: What are your plans for the future?

KC: Bob and I are doing some traveling, and we enjoy very lazy mornings without the need to get dressed for work. I have also stepped into a limited role in the U-M Space Institute, associated primarily with the College of Engineering. I’m spearheading an effort to start a space medicine working group within the Space Institute, and we are trying to gather people from all over the university (medicine, engineering, kinesiology, business, etc.) to solve some of the big problems associated with space flight.

DR. ROD FORT

After 23 years as an economics professor at Washington State University, Dr. Rod Fort came to U-M Kinesiology in 2007 as a Sport Management professor, specializing in sport economics. In addition to authoring the textbook Sports Economics, Fort is author or co-author of Hard Ball, Pay Dirt, and over 100 academic journal articles.

Fort is known worldwide for his sport economics expertise. His blog, Rodney Fort’s Sport Economics, is archived in the Library of Congress. He was lead author on an amicus brief during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) v. Alston Supreme Court case. In addition to his blog, Fort maintains a Twitter account (@rodneyfort) and occasionally consults.

Fort and his wife, Leslie, have three children and nine grandchildren.

Movement Magazine: Is that a photo of Secretariat on your Twitter profile? Rod Fort: Secretariat was quite possibly the greatest athlete in any sport. I admire that.

MM: Your master’s and PhD theses, on “Community Support for Rural Hospitals” and “Analysis of Commodity Futures Price Distribution,” seem far removed from sport economics. Maybe the field didn’t exist then?

RF: While studying for my master’s and PhD, there was no “sports economics” per se. I didn’t even realize one could apply economics to sports until I worked for one of my profs on their consulting on a baseball case. But in the 1990s that all changed. I had written one paper on salary determination and that drew reporters like crazy during that tumultuous time. And I just kept working on sports after that.

MM: Of all your achievements—books, amicus brief, having your work archived in the Library of Congress— which are you most proud of, and why?

RF: That’s a bit like asking which child you like best. But I think it is the paper that still commands the most citations—my 1995 paper with James Quirk in the Journal of Economic Literature, “Cross-Subsidization, Incentives, and Outcomes in Professional Team Sports Leagues.”

MM: We understand that you are traveling in an Airstream—what’s on your itinerary?

RF: First, visiting each of our three kids and the eight (soon to be nine!) grandkids in Colfax, WA (our new residence); Kalispell, MT; and Salem, OR. Short trips in between. Then we have Airstream trips planned to the Pacific Coast beaches, the Southwest, and the Gulf Coast. Can’t wait for the Tampa to Key West leg!

DR. TOM TEMPLIN

Dr. Tom Templin came to U-M Kinesiology in 2015 as associate dean for faculty and undergraduate student affairs, taking over from the retiring Pat Van Volkinburg. He had previously taught at Purdue University for 38 years. In the 1970s, after teaching middle school physical education and German, Templin attended the U-M School of Education to earn a PhD in education.

Templin and his wife, Sarah, live in Indiana and have been married for 50 years. They have two children, three grandchildren, and two former Seeing Eye dogs.

Movement Magazine: When you were working towards your PhD at the School of Ed, were you aware of the fledgling Division of Kinesiology, and what did you think of it?

Tom Templin: Yes, I was well aware of the division. My advisor, Shirley Cooper, was a professor there and I was preparing to become a professor of Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). It was clear that the division was going to be quite successful. When Dee Edington became the director, I knew that the unit was going to achieve great success in research, teaching, and service.

MM: What are your short- and long-term plans?

TT: I will stay involved as the executive director of the American Kinesiology Association, and continue to engage with InPACT [a U-M Kinesiology program promoting exercise for children in school and at home during COVID-19], on mixed method methodology employed in the research, with a focus on teacher perceptions of InPACT.

Sarah and I will engage in both domestic and international travel from time to time, and of course, spend time with our kids and grandkids. Also, I may play a bit of golf!

MM: You were at U-M Kinesiology for nearly seven years—what will you miss most?

TT: My colleagues, students, and friends are number one on the list. It has been an honor and real joy to work with such a talented group of faculty, staff, and students in the best Kinesiology program in the world. Being associate dean was the crowning experience in my 45-year career in higher education. Thank you! n