Farewell, McKinley: Retirement official Friday

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, the retirement of one of the most influential members of the Nevada High School faculty becomes official at the end of this week.

Now in his 27th year with the school district, McKinley spent 15 years as the school's athletic director before resigning that position at the end of last year. I don't think it's really a secret to anyone just how influential and beneficial his presence in that position -- as well as his time as a teacher and coach -- has been to not only the students of Nevada High School, but also the other members of the Nevada R-5 staff and the community.

McKinley was named athletic director in 1998 and since then, has led the Nevada High School athletics department through a number of trying times. The most notable of those was a span of five years in which Nevada was forced to try to maintain full athletic schedules as an independent school after the disbanding of the Southwest Conference in 2008.

McKinley and Nevada R-5 School District Superintendent Dr. David Stephens announced the end of that independent status in February, when Nevada was unanimously voted into the West Central Conference, beginning provisionally next school year -- an accomplishment that was mostly spearheaded by McKinley.

During the time Nevada was independent, McKinley maintained a 99.3 percent completion rate in athletic schedules, coming up just five games short of having full schedules in seven major sports. He has been a member of the Nevada High School Wall of Fame committee since its inception and during his tenure, Nevada High School was named a Missouri State High School Activities Association Leadership School 10 times.

He was the director of the Nevada Alumni Golf Tournament from 2000-05 and created and instituted an evaluation tool for coaches and assistants. He played an administrative role in the facility improvements at Logan Field and renovation projects at Wynn Gymnasium, Lyons Stadium and Bushwhacker Field, as well as successfully administering the yearly NHS athletics budget.

He instituted a total of 10 different recognition programs for athletes at NHS and spent two different stints as assistant coach for the Tigers basketball team in the 1980s and 1990s. Also among his professional accomplishments was the 2007-08 MIAAA Southwest District Athletic Director of the Year Award, three different Teacher of the Year awards and his selection as a Nevada Chamber of Commerce/R-5 Schools Education Honoree in 2002.

I think that list of accomplishments speaks for itself, but McKinley's contributions to the district and the community go far beyond that. He's been an active member of the Booster Club for years, as well as always being more than willing to help out, whenever he sees the opportunity.

That last part is something I can attest to, personally. When I first came to work for the Daily Mail full-time in 2008, Kevin was first in line to help me out and made a point to do everything he could to make my transition into the community sports journalism world a smooth one.

Anybody who really knows me can attest to the fact that I have always been a man with high standards and never one to think I've learned enough to stop trying to improve in everything I do. Since that first summer I worked here full-time and the school year that followed, Kevin McKinley has always been my source when I wanted extra information about anything related to Nevada High School sports or what I was doing, not only by my own choice, but because he often reached out to me to help.

Probably the best example of that came in February 2011, when I went down with a serious medical issue that ended up keeping me away for a year and a half. When that all started, the first one to check in and see how I was doing was Kevin and he continued to show genuine concern throughout the entire process.

At one point during my time off, he even went so far as to buy a giant card for me and get the entire athletic department together -- players and coaches -- to sign it, before having it delivered to me. That card -- which features more than 100 signatures of current and former Nevada High School players and coaches -- still sits in my bedroom at home, to this day, roughly two years after it was received.

I don't intend to get rid of it, either.

That was a gesture of which I don't think anyone involved really knew the impact, but it was really just typical Kevin. He has always made a name for himself as a great helper and is a man I feel very privileged to call my friend.

I heard recently that a retirement party had been planned for Kevin in conjunction with his 50th birthday -- which was Wednesday -- but I learned this week that those plans had been nixed. I think it's kind of a bummer that such a great and influential contributor to Nevada High School and the community as a whole would have to miss out on the opportunity to have his contributions celebrated at such an event, but I don't think it's really any secret just how meaningful those contributions have been over the years.

I don't think it's any secret that McKinley's exit will be noticed, either. After this week, things simply won't be the same as the exit of such an influential figure is bound to leave a bit of a hole.

I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say, farewell, Kevin McKinley. You will be missed.