Another Good Man Gone

Posted Dec 17, 2009 by Tom McEwen

Updated Dec 17, 2009 at 03:00 AM

Burke Kibler died in Lakeland this week, at 85. His death ended a life of full attention to the law, to the University of Florida, to his family. He lived in Lakeland and died in Lakeland, on Lake Hollingsworth, near the Lakeland Yacht Club, his home and playground.

I take advantage of this fine position of mine by being able to write about this good man of many talents. Gosh, but we were good friends, from our college days at the University of Florida until the day he died. Our times on earth matched and we were friends from the day we met at the University at the ATO House.

Kibler — and we called him Kibler because we do not care for the name Burke — until our last meeting the other day when we were planning a lunch at the Lakeland Yacht Club, his headquarters there, was a man about that town and involved in virtually all of its civic endeavors and public responses.

Kibler was kind of a funny man. He did funny things. Between tee shots playing golf at Lakeland Country Club and Palma Ceia Country Club, he dropped down and did pushups. He was a fitness freak, although as I saw him, he was not in particularly good shape. But, he preached it and he followed the rules. He wasn’t a particularly good golfer but was fanatical about it as he was all things he thought to conquer, like the law. He was a partner at Holland & Knight, that big law firm so famous in Florida, and a proud member.

He talked the law to me on the golf course although I didn’t understand anything he was saying. He was a little too technical, as he wanted to be. Kibler was pretty much that way about everything, intent and emphatic. He could make a case quickly and easily and often did.

This is the way he was in college. I think I befriended him because he had a red Chevrolet car, about which he had many rules. Often he would get five of us from ATO or SAE, neighbors at Gainesville, and organize a trip to Tallahassee. This was just before World War II. Tallahassee was a college for the girls and Gainesville was college for the boys.

Kibler, ever the businessman, collected fifty cents from each of us for the cost of the trip. A fastidious man, Kibler took off his britches and folded them while driving so they would not be wrinkled on arrival at Tallahassee. Some of the regulars on the trip were Fred Duffy, Max Brewer, George McMaster, and Bill McManus. Kibler always collected his toll in advance -  no money no go.

There were a half a dozen students in the ATO fraternity that had cars. Regular riders would trade around for their trips. Prices were always the same, fifty cents. Kibler never overcharged. We knew he was from a wealthy background in Lakeland and were proud to know him. I know I sure as heck was.

He was a good and unlikely soldier in World War 11. He was sent quickly to France, along with buddy John Germany, who’s in his law firm today, and Red Dog Pittman, who would become publisher of the Tampa Tribune. When their times were up on the European operation, they were sent to the Pacific to join me. Kibler was honored with medals for valor. Then the whole crowd made the trip to Asia and joined those of us already there. They saw some action in the Pacific theater as well.

During these years, Kibler was married to the beauty, Nell Bryant. They were high society and big in Lakeland’s growth and had four fine children: David, Thomas, Jacquelyn and Nancy Drew.

Bless and take care of Burke Kibler. He did his good time on Earth as an educator, as a lawyer, as a father, as a leader of men. We never called him Burke, but instead some takeoff on that unusual name, like Brett, Burt or Brick, before finally settling on Kibler, like the first sergeant who called for him when he had been assigned latrine duty and was late. Kibler would do that. Hoping they’d forget.

See you, Brett.