Wayne Louis Sengstock

Wayne Louis Sengstock, known by his friends as Kip, lived a long, joyful and impactful life. He spent the last fifty years with the love of his life, Cynthia Jean Kuhlman (Cindy), building together an extraordinarily happy marriage and celebrating their 46 years of marriage on his last day of life. Kip loved being a father to his son, Tim Sengstock, and took enormous pride in Tim’s personal and professional accomplishments. Kip’s friendly nature and outgoing personality helped him make friends all over the world and enriched his life in countless ways. A curious man and lifelong learner, Kip seized every opportunity to learn and challenge himself in athletics, academia, and art.

Kip was born in Hortonville, Wisconsin, on July 29, 1928, to Fred (Butch) and Margarette (Babe) Sengstock in the home of his grandparents, although his parents had a home in Milwaukee. His grandparents’ property was in the country, situated in a fork in the road. The home had no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and heat was provided by a potbellied wood stove. There were lovely farms surrounding their property. Due to the bitter cold and snowy Wisconsin winters, Kip’s grandparents spent winters with the family in Milwaukee. Each summer, Kip would spend time with his grandparents in Hortonville where he would enjoy playing with children from the neighboring farms. Holidays were always a time for the entire family to gather.

Kip attended public schools in Milwaukee and graduated from Washington High School where he mostly enjoyed sports and extracurricular activities, certainly much more than studying. Basketball and baseball were his favorite sports, but he also enjoyed tossing a football around and playing trumpet in the band. Kip had a special talent for seizing opportunities and enjoying life. Throughout his childhood, he enjoyed playing catch with his loving and special father, who played Minor League Baseball and was most successful at it. From as early as he could remember, his dad would never turn him down if he wanted to have a game of catch. During high school, Kip played American Legion Baseball, receiving remarkable recognition from his coaches. His baseball talent landed him a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers giving him professional status and an opportunity to earn money to pay for his college. During his time in the Minor Leagues, Kip had personal encounters with many of the now historically famous baseball players including Warren Spahn, Eddie Matthews, Burleigh Grimes, Johnny Podres, Henry Aaron, Bob Turley, and Yogi Berra. Altogether, Kip played for or was signed by the Minor League Teams of the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, and was offered a contract by the Milwaukee Braves. Baseball has always been a highlight of Kip’s life.

Kip’s enormous talent for making friends and cultivating meaningful relationships became clear and evident as he navigated his post-secondary educational path. He learned from his great high school friends that going to college made their lives exciting and was really fun. He decided to join them and enrolled at Milwaukee State Teachers College, which ultimately became Milwaukee’s primary Eastside campus of the University of Wisconsin. Kip decided to pursue a course of study preparing him to teach intellectually disabled children and youth. Kip enjoyed a full and rich career educating and preparing his students for a full and rich life, always staying ahead of the game in best instructional practices. It was a joy to hear Kip elaborate on the talent of his students and his respect and love for each one of them.

Kip was drafted into the army during the Korean War and sent to Fort Leonard Wood for basic training. Fortunately for Kip, the war ended before he was deployed, and he was assigned as an Education Specialist to Fifth Army Headquarters in Chicago. He was provided with a truck and all of the supplies he needed to provide and supervise high school and college courses to soldiers interested and also to administer the GED test to those seeking a high school diploma. He had an apartment overlooking Lake Michigan with a stunning view of downtown Chicago. Because his nights were free, he enrolled in DePaul University where he completed a master’s degree, seeking the opportunity to improve his teaching ability for his future students.

Following his military service, Kip accepted a teaching position in Portland, Oregon. He taught special education at Washington High School and coached baseball. His art of teaching and love for his students flourished in this role. The fact that he coached the baseball team helped his standing and the status of his special education students greatly. The baseball team literally adopted his class and provided support and air cover for them throughout their high school years. Kip exposed his students to every real-life experience and opportunity available from touring art museums and creating their own art to map-making, navigating the city, financial planning, and making furniture for their homes. He was “tip of the spear” in instructional strategy.

At the time Kennedy was President, and with the support and encouragement from his sister, Eunice Shriver, he demonstrated an interest and commitment to helping disabled children, because the family had a sister who was born with a disability. He initiated a program where each state was to grant two doctoral scholarships to worthy recipients. The purpose behind this was to supply colleges and universities with qualified professors to train more teachers in special education. Kip was granted a scholarship by the state of Oregon, and chose to attend Syracuse University, which had become a leader in research, training, and advocacy efforts in disability rights and disability studies and had professors considered to be leaders in the field to this day.

After completing his doctorate at Syracuse, Kip fulfilled the purpose of his scholarship by accepting a faculty position in the College of Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he enjoyed living in Chapel Hill, teaching at the University, and enjoying a remarkable social life of friendships, golf, fine dining, arts, and culture. Following his position at Chapel Hill, with guidance from his Syracuse mentor, Dr. William Cruickshank, Kip accepted a position as Education and Recreation Consultant with an advocacy organization then known as the National Association for Retarded Children (NARC), which is now known as Arc of the United States. In this capacity, Kip worked in the heart of Manhattan and traveled around the country helping state and local associations with new programs involving education and recreation. In this role, he crossed paths again with the Kennedy Foundation to serve as an assistant in developing the Special Olympics program and again connected with Eunice Shriver to help solve any presenting problems. The Special Olympics program now has over 50 years of success in promoting physical fitness and a sense of pride for participants.

The final leg of Kip’s professional journey came in 1966 when he accepted a faculty position at Georgia State University. Kip moved to Atlanta and enjoyed a professionally exciting, challenging, and productive 28-year career in the College of Education. He built relationships with colleagues that led to life-long friendships and the addition of new hobbies to his repertoire as an athlete including golf, skiing, tennis, and running. Kip’s best friends became his golfing and running buddies. Kip successfully completed eight marathons including the Boston Marathon, and he also enjoyed downhill skiing competition through races sponsored by NASTAR. Seizing the opportunity for travel, Kip skied nearly every major resort in the United States and several in Europe. Golf was the sport that took Kip through the longest portion of his life and helped build his life-long friendships. Kip enjoyed traveling to many different golf courses, while he also enjoyed his membership at Indian Hills Country Club.

The highlight of Kip’s life began in Atlanta at Georgia State University, when he met his wife, Cindy, as she was completing her doctoral studies. Theirs was a true love story with a relationship that lasted 50 years including 46 years of a wonderful marriage and a lovely and long courtship. Their earliest times involved their shared professional interests in serving children and youth with disabilities. As their relationship and marriage grew, they shared athletic interests in running, skiing, and tennis. Although Cindy never picked up on golf, she was born into a family of golfers, who happily accepted Kip into their family, friends, and golfing circles. Cindy and Kip enjoyed traveling together more than anything. They visited all seven continents together, with South Africa being their favorite vacation destination where they enjoyed six visits during the past ten years. Mostly, Cindy and Kip just loved being together. They thoroughly enjoyed six Maltese dogs: Bippy, Barnaby, Bridgette, Bonnie, Belle, and Billie Jean. Every day of their lives revolved around their precious dogs. They enjoyed three beautiful homes in Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Buckhead. They cherished every day together.

Like his own father, Kip loved being a father to his son, Tim. Kip enjoyed playing a game of catch with Tim just as his own father had done with him. Kip believed that Tim was a natural athlete as he would spring from his crib and onto counter tops. Tim earned a letter jacket in high school for his football talent. Being a teacher, Kip naturally wanted to read to Tim and encourage him to do well in school. Tim married his lifelong wife and partner, Liane, and they had one son, Pierce, who has followed in Tim’s footsteps professionally in their family security business and in Kip’s footsteps for his interest in learning languages, art, and history.

Kip enjoyed a successful professional career becoming a full professor at Georgia State University College of Education. He was the fourth member of a distinguished team selected to start the Department of Special Education. Just as Kip was an excellent teacher of children and youth, he was an excellent professor in teacher preparation. He was well-organized in his approach to teaching and modeled the best practices he hoped to inspire in future teachers of exceptional children. He also fulfilled his ambitious goals for research in the field of special education and enjoyed presenting a state, national, and international conferences.

Kip retired from Georgia State University in 1994 after 28 years of service and went on to enjoy a 30-year fabulous retirement. From the beginning, he vowed to pursue his leisure with traveling, golfing, running, watching old movies, listening to music of all eras, reading, and enjoying family and friends. The most exciting addition to his retirement joy and happiness was his art. Kip began an intense study of the Great Masters, researching their lives, locating and visiting their masterpieces all over the world with Cindy, and replicating some of his favorites for their home and their friends. He completed over 100 beautiful paintings during his retirement. Kip thoroughly enjoyed retirement to conclude his 96 years of an enjoyable, productive, and most gratifying life. From humble beginnings at his grandparents’ farm in Hortonville and an ideal family life with his loving, hard-working parents, and accomplished siblings, Russ and Shirley, Kip demonstrated the importance of family values, work ethic, and quality education. His legacy includes a gallery of his beautiful art, delightful memories shared by family and friends, and commitment to children and youth with educational and economic needs through endowed scholarships that he and Cindy have created at universities that have impacted their lives.

Lenbrook became Kip’s last residence. Although he had only a short time to live there, his friendly and joyful nature brought him friends and acquaintances. He loved his beautiful home at Lenbrook, and he created the perfect home for Cindy to enjoy forever. Kip is survived by his wife, Cynthia Kuhlman; son, Tim Sengstock; daughter-in-law, Liane Sengstock; grandson, Pierce Sengstock; nephew, Craig Sengstock, and wife, Sue; grandnephew, Jay Sengstock and wife, Audra; great grandniece and grandnephew, Satine and Tiernan Sengstock; grandnephew Chad Sengstock and wife, Jessica; great grandnephews, Beau and Dover Sengstock; grandniece, Lynette Whitcomb; great grandnephew, Hunter Smith; grandniece Jolynn Cheston and husband, Chad; great grandniece, Katya Cheston; and, finally, Kip’s most precious dog, Billie Jean. He also leaves behind many friends who will cherish his memory forever.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Kip’s memory to the Charles R. Drew Charter School Opportunity Fund https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/DrewCharterSchoolInc/KipSengstock.html or the Georgia State University College of Education Innovation and Engagement Fund d.gsu.edu/kip.