First Royal High School principal chosen as Grand Marshal

ROYAL CITY - By force of habit, you are likely to hear a lot of people in their 40s, 50s and 60s saying "Mr." at the Royal City SummerFest this weekend.

That's how they are likely to greet Ken Kallenberger, whom they knew as the first principal of Royal High School. He plans to be at most of the festivities to greet some of the "kids" he hasn't seen for years.

Kallenberger, who was principal of Royal High from 1963-1982, is excited about having been chosen grand marshal of this year's SummerFest. He will bring out-of-town family members to the celebration.

The SummerFest Committee, chaired by Royal High grad Cara Hoyt, selected Kallenberger as grand marshal because it was the right thing to do. He lives in the community and plays an active role to this day.

"We feel it is quite fitting that Mr. Kallenberger be honored for his life-long contributions to our school and community," Hoyt said.

Kallenberger was raised in the hamlet of Marlin about 30 miles north of Moses Lake, on Upper Crab Creek. It had a population of 100 in his day and fewer than 100 people today.

"Upper Crab Creek runs through the scattered remnants of the town," Kallenberger said.

Kallenberger started his education career in 1954 in another hamlet named LaMont, about six miles south of Sprague. He taught 5th and 6th grade.

Kallenberger moved on to White Salmon for two years and then applied for the principal's position at the not-yet-built Royal High School. He heard about it through a notice from his college.

The interviews took place in 1963. Kallenberger doesn't know how many other applicants were interviewed, but he was called back for a second interview.

As he drove up for the interview in March, the weather was windy and windier, and the land was not yet tied down by green fields. There was dust everywhere, just what Kallenberger had been used to in Marlin and LaMont.

When Kallenberger pulled up to the old Red Rock School in his car, there was an applicant from Puyallup exiting his car. As the fellow walked in front of Kallenbeger's car, he was swept away by a tumbleweed that engulfed his entire 6-foot frame.

"He finally fought it off, looked at me, said, 'This isn't for me,' got back in his car and drove off," Kallenberger said. "So I figured I got the job by default."

Kallenberger came to Royal that same year to put the school together. He even lent a hand in several hours of construction.

"I had to hire staff," he said. "I had to order books, furniture, equipment and other things a school needed in those days."

Kallenberger will be at all of the events on Friday and will attend on Saturday for as long as the SummerFest Committee wishes. He will lead the 10 a.m. grand parade.

Kallenberger will be joined at the festivities by his wife of four-and-a-half years Patricia Ann Taylor, formerly a restaurant owner in Bandon, on the Oregon coast. They met there in January of 2011, when his grandson married her grand-daughter.

Kallenberger's first wife Louise, whom many people here knew, died in 2007. Patricia's first husband had died three years earlier. Ken's grand-son, who is a caddy at the fabulous Bandon golf courses, met Patricia's grand-daughter there.

According to the Kallenbergers, there was a conspiracy - enhanced by the wedding perhaps - among family members to get the two of them together. It worked.

Before and after retiring in 1982, Kallenberger bought land to put together a small farm on the Royal Slope, where he still works a cow/calf operation. Only 82, Kallenberger, loads hay, changes water and generally chases after cows daily.

Patricia, who is burning up in the current heat wave, moved here in April of 2011. She became a cowgirl and helps Ken with their 100-cow ranch.

In addition to handling school leadership, Kallenberger spent many years as a coach of basketball and track and taught World War II History classes.

Kallenberger's children and grand-children speak fondly of his story telling. The students he knew very well. His knowledge of World War II and local history is extensive.

"World War II affected everybody," said Kallenberger who was 12 when it ended. "Every able-bodied man in the community went off to fight. The rest of us joined the fight at home, supporting the soldiers any way we could."

Kallenberger is active with the New Life Fellowship Church, which was founded recently in Royal City. He is a fan of sports of all kinds, including the Seattle Seahawks, WSU Football, Gonzaga Basketball and Seattle Mariners Baseball. His favorite teams are still the Fighting Knights of Royal High.

"Please come to the festival," Hoyt said. "And please help us welcome Ken Kallenberger as the 2015 Royal SummerFest Royal Reunion Grand Marshal and thank him for his lifetime of service to our school and community."