Dr. William Michael Kleine

William Michael Kleine, born April 4, 1948, to William Kleine and Ethel Elaine Mullins Kleine, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2025, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Michael is survived by his wife, Susan Martin Kleine; daughter, Amy Kleine; sister, Patricia (Allan) Rumbaugh; niece, Jenny (Dustin) Schmidt; brother in-law Jeff (Christina) Martin; and nieces Susan Darnell and Rachel Martin.

Michael grew up in Denver, Colorado, attending Abraham Lincoln High School. His higher education degrees and affiliations are numerous: Undergraduate education at Macalester College and the University of Northern Colorado; master’s degree from the University of Maine; and culminating in a doctorate in discourse linguistics and composition/rhetoric from the University of Minnesota. For over 35 years, he was a beloved professor of rhetoric and writing at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock (UALR), before retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2017.

Along with teaching writing, Michael produced copious amounts of academic articles; presented papers at many professional conferences both in the United States and internationally; as well as spent time in Italy researching and writing his book on the Italian medieval rhetorician, Brunetto Latini, entitled “Searching for Latini.” Along with his academic writing, Michael wrote hundreds of poems, many of which were published in various volumes.

His passion for writing poetry extended back to when he was a boy and was influenced by his mother’s writing and discussions of poetic works.

If Michael, or “Dr. Kleine” as his students still call him even after retirement, were writing this obituary, he would not focus on his published academic achievements, however. Instead, it was always in the classroom, in the company of his students, that he found his true calling. His students (of which, in the course of his career, have numbered in the 1,000’s) found in Dr. Kleine a true mentor and caring advocate in his continual support of their writing and in his meticulous, encouraging feedback he gave each of them. Michael’s teaching style was never one of simply lecturing or giving assignments. He was an empathetic, egalitarian facilitator, gently guiding and inspiring his students not to simply learn to write well, but rather to help them discover their “voice” through writing that was already within them.

Michael’s personal interests, along with writing, were wide-ranging. Along with all of the arts, including literature, music, theatre and fine arts, he is perhaps most remembered for his love of the mountains and nature. Michael did not just enjoy being outdoors, but found his spiritual inspiration in being in the mountains as he skied, hiked, camped, canoed, and fly fished in so many rivers and lakes throughout the United States. Along with his outdoor pursuits, he was a very athletic man, having participated in many 5k and 10k races; on several softball teams; and in daily tennis matches well into his mid-life.

Michael was a truly exceptionally loving husband, father, brother, friend, and professor. As we begin our spiritual relationship with him, we remember most his beautiful qualities of kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness, advocacy and concern for those less privileged; his wonderfully abundant sense of humor and humility; and his ability to find beauty in so many aspects of the human condition.

A celebration of William Michael Kleine’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025, at Smith Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Court, Little Rock, AR, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor Michael’s life through a gift, contributions can be made to the Dr. Michael and Mrs. Susan Kleine Annual Scholarship at University of Arkansas Little Rock. Donations may be mailed to the Office of Alumni and Development, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR, 72204, or made online at this link https://ualr.edu/giving/product/campus/.