Clive Kileff

He is survived by his wife, Martha B. Lee, his sister, Sonja Kileff DeLloyd, his brother, Brian Kileff and wife Moyra Kileff, his children Lara Kileff Fugatt and her husband Steve Fugatt, Peter D. Kileff and his wife Christa Kileff, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

Born in Zimbabwe, Africa, of European ancestry that valued formal education, Clive came to the United States at age 21 and attended Harvard University. Graduating with honors, he continued formal studies and research at Rice University to receive his Ph.D.

In 1970 Dr. Kileff joined the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography. For three decades he taught courses in Anthropology and continued research of African cultures, arts, and crafts that was published in books and peer-reviewed articles. Consequently, civic groups often welcomed him as a guest speaker or valued member.

An ardent athlete throughout life, Clive ran the Boston Marathon; played in the Wimbledon qualifying games, and the US Open Tennis Tournament. In his later years he was ranked first in the US along with his doubles partner, Fred Drilling. He competed yearly in the “International Super Seniors Tennis Tournament” with members of his high school tennis team from Zimbabwe. In 2023, Clive and his team won the silver metal award as the second-best senior tennis team in the world.

Dr. Kileff was an author of five books in his field of study and research. He was also a generous philanthropist. He arranged for upward of 26 talented students, mostly from the African Continent, to have the opportunity to both play tennis in the US and complete a college degrees.