Obituaries

A Mass of Christian Burial was held March 1 in St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Amherst, for Kevin M. Durkin, assistant vice president for student affairs and director of admissions at UB until last November. Durkin died Feb. 26 in Buffalo General Hospital. He was 54.

"Kevin was truly committed and dedicated," said UB President William R. Greiner. "He worked hard to accomplish a lot of great things for our university community as a whole. He cared deeply about UB," Greiner said, "and most especially about our students-they were genuinely personally important to him. And he was a truly good and gentle person. Kevin was a model for service excellence at UB. We will miss him."

Robert L. Palmer, vice president for student affairs, said, "When I think of Kevin Durkin, I recall a man whose knowledge and talent were highly respected in the admissions field across the state and beyond. He took seriously his responsibility to provide the leadership required to ensure that the university met or exceeded its enrollment targets for freshman and transfer students and was always successful in achieving those objectives.

"Kevin was a man of immense character and integrity; the consummate team player," Palmer said. "He exhibited the rare quality of taking his job seriously, but never himself. During his tenure at UB, he touched many lives in many different ways."

Durkin earned his bachelor of arts degree in history and secondary education at Fredonia State College and a master of science degree in secondary education at Buffalo State College.

He taught English and social studies in Jamestown and Dunkirk high schools before becoming director of admissions and records at Buffalo State College in 1975.

Durkin became director of admissions and records at UB in 1982, and then director of admissions from 1984 to 1988. In 1988 he became assistant vice president for student affairs in addition to continuing as director of admissions.

He belonged to numerous professional organizations, including the Western New York Consortium of Admissions Officers and Registrars, which he served as chair; he was a member and former executive committee member of the State University of New York Admissions Personnel Association and past chairman of the New York Consortium of Colleges and Universities for Peterson's Guides.

He served on many committees at UB including the Enrollment Management Committee, Committee on Integrated Advisement, Public Relations Task Force, Faculty Senate Committee on Admission and Retention, Financial Aid Steering Committee and Orientation Advisory Committee. Among his community work was service on the Board of Trustees for the Recovering Child Foundation and for Mt. St. Mary's Academy.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy; a daughter, Maureen, of Williamsville; two sons, Michael and Thomas, both of Amherst; two sisters, Saranne Karalus and Michele Vallone, both of Dunkirk; and one grandson.