The turntable to the left of the auditorium will no longer be known as room 192.  As of Oct. 3, the room has been renamed the Klene room in memory of Ronald Edward Klene, who taught government and law at LN in the 33 years between 1976 and 2009. Klene passed away on Feb. 27 at the age of 72.

History teacher John Diercks was one of the first teachers at LN. He became close friends with Klene very quickly.

“Ron was the greatest friend and cheerleader that Lawrence North ever had, and I saw it every day,” Diercks said.

Klene is the third faculty member to have a room dedication at LN, following Keith Schafer, for whom the planetarium is named, and Bill McColly, the first principal of LN.

Several of Klene’s students, including LN graduate David Nguyen, who graduated in 1999, were present at the dedication of his former classroom.

“Ron was influential to Supreme Court justices, to court appeals, to elected officials, to all the people who met him. I’m honored to have met him,” Nguyen said.

It was Klene’s teaching that influenced Nguyen, currently a lawyer, to enter law school.

“It’s really important, his contributions to not just the students at LN, but to higher education as well,” Nguyen said.

Along with his contributions as a teacher, Klene also had several ties to Wabash College. During his tenure at LN, he recruited several students to attend Wabash College and received the Recruitment Award from the college.

Klene was also known for his philosophy “rights and responsibility.” He believed that in whatever circumstance, people have a right and responsibility to act accordingly.

“He always wanted to solve all the problems of the world and the problems of education,” Diercks said.