The Jonathan Kleier ‘01 Leadership Endowment was established by our family in the fall of 2009 after the sudden and heartbreaking loss Jonathan Kleier. While a student at Horace Mann School, Jonathan was legendary in athletics. As the beloved captain of both the varsity football and lacrosse teams, he was an incredible competitor and fearless leader who commanded the respect of everyone around him. He never gave up – in the last game of the season senior year, he played the game as though he was fine, but when he walked off the football field, we saw that he had cracked ribs and torn ligaments in his leg. Known on the field as “Killer Kleier,” off the field he was a teddy bear, and equally as fierce and loyal in his friendships as he was in the game. Jonathan’s passion was infectious; so was his smile and his laugh, which you could recognize from
across a room. A teammate says, “without Jonathan, there would be no heart on the team.”The first Jonathan Kleier ’01 Leadership Endowment was awarded to Freddie Adler, an outstanding and remarkable student athlete who took great pride leading his teammates in three varsity sports. Most important to us, everyone who knows both Jonathan and Freddie say they are remarkably alike in personality, leadership and heart – and that he was a perfect recipient for the award, one who would make Jonathan proud.
