Alumni Hall of Fame
Academic and Professional Achievement (2015)

Kathryn C. "K.C." Geiger, was born November 9, 1905, in St. Marys, Ohio, and was a member of the St. Marys High School graduating class of 1923. The long-time managing editor of St. Marys' local newspaper, The Evening Leader, Miss Geiger notably distinguished herself as a successful and respected business woman, and she was a community leader in her personal life as well.

In high school, Kathryn Geiger was president of her class. She was the literary editor of The Mirror, the school yearbook, the editor of The Live Wire, the school newspaper, a member of the debate team and a member of the orchestra.

Shortly before her graduation, she began working as a reporter for The Evening Leader. After more than twenty years of service, she was named editor of the newspaper in 1944. She held that position for 30 years until her retirement on March 7, 1974, when she was named Editor Emeritus.

K.C. Geiger was widely known in newspaper circles throughout the state. In addition to her work at the local newspaper, she also served as the St. Marys news correspondent to the Lima News, the Dayton Daily News, the Dayton Journal Herald, the Toledo Blade and the Columbus Dispatch. K.C. Geiger wrote a column called "Eve Lea," in which she promoted a number of causes.

K.C.'s interest in the schools, the businesses and organizations of St. Marys put her in the perfect position to record the events of the community in the newspaper. She wrote dozens of articles daily, long and short, six days a week, for fifty years. In that time she missed only one Memorial High School graduation ceremony. Her personal "fillers," short inserts between articles, would welcome students home from college, or remind readers of local fundraisers, or mention engagements or birthdays. She wrote about former residents who had moved away, and recorded the meetings and events of all the community clubs and organizations, of which many she was a member.

She was a charter member of Soroptimist International of St. Marys, the St. Marys Community Foundation, Auglaize County Historical Society, the St. Marys Drama Club, Salvation Army, Zion Lutheran Church, Circle One, Ohio Newspaper Women's Association, St. Marys Scholarship Fund, and the American Red Cross. She was also the voice of the Home Bank hotline, and was a notary public. At one time, she served as the city treasurer. Kathryn C. Geiger received the Jaycees' Distinguished Service Award.

Through her participation and reporting, K.C. Geiger was involved in establishing Joint Township Memorial Hospital and the St. Marys Community Foundation. She championed bringing industry to St. Marys, and loved Memorial High School. It is a testament to the respect and affection the community held for her that "K.C. Geiger Park" was chosen in a public contest as the name for the new municipal park dedicated in 1973.

2015 is the 40th anniversary of Kathryn C. Geiger's death. She died on January 26, 1975, less than a year after her retirement.

For achieving excellence in her profession, and serving as an enduring inspiration and asset to the community, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts Miss Kathryn C. "K.C." Geiger into its Hall of Fame for Academic and Professional Achievement.

The above text, in its entirety, is embossed on a St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Hall of Fame plaque permanently on display in Memorial High School.