WHO KNOWS PRESIDENT LEFTON BETTER?
Reporting by Jackie Valley
He’s been at Kent State nearly two years now. You may have seen him pass through the Student Center. Maybe you’ve seen him shaking hands with a student or faculty member. But how much do you really know about Kent State’s 11th president, Lester Lefton?
Here’s a start: He’s been married to his wife, Linda, for 37 years. He has one grandson and two grown daughters who live in Los Angeles and San Francisco. His passions range from technology to fitness. For instance, the self-described “exercise nut” used to bicycle 150 miles per week.
But the surprises don’t end there. Learn more. President Lefton shared more “fun facts” with The Burr, as did his daughter, Jesse, and his co-worker, Charlene Reed. Sometimes Jesse and Charlene guessed President Lefton’s answers correctly. Other times, they provided insight only a daughter or co-worker could.
Read and discover What is President Lefton’s…
| Favorite TV Show | Favorite Hobby |
College Education | Favorite Meal | Favorite Music | Coffee Preference | Household Skills | |
Jessie; daughter, Los Angeles |
Even though “The Sopranos” is her dad’s all-time favorite show, Jesse says her dad also watches every season of the “Amazing Race.” |
“He always has a bunch of different hobbies that have come and gone throughout the years,” Jesse says. Those hobbies include biking, building model train sets and making stained-glass windows.
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Northeastern University, psychology |
Italian, but Jesse says she has “no guess” about his actual favorite dish.
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“He’s a huge showtunes lover,” Jesse says. “He owns like every Broadway showtune ever recorded and knows every word.”
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“He likes his coffee black and his scotch straight.”
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Jesse still remembers — and uses — “Lester’s Laundry Tips.” “He would be the first person I’d call if I had some sort of stain emergency,” she says. “He’s the laundry man.” |
Charlene Reed; secretary for the Board of Trustees |
Charlene says President Lefton’s latest favorite TV show is HBO’s “In Treatment,” about a psychoanalyst who is in therapy also.
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In addition to making stained-glass windows (a few of which hang in his office), Charlene says President Lefton also loves going to theater performances
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Northeastern University, psychology |
Charlene says he has a “pretty broad range of tastes,” including Thai food and seafood.
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Classical music, jazz and Broadway tunes. Charlene says sound waves from WKSU 89.7 often float from President Lefton’s office.
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Black and strong, and Charlene says, “He likes his Starbucks.”
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Laundry — “Lester’s Laundry Tips”
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