After graduating from State High where he competed in both football and track and field, Thomas “Tek” Kleban ’85 spent a post-graduate year at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ, where he also played football and was captain of the track team, graduating in 1986. At Penn State, Tek was a leader in track and field, setting several records in the decathlon, including the decathlon pole vault.
The summer before his senior year at Penn State, Tek suffered severe spinal injuries in a life-changing swimming pool accident that left him without the use of his arms and legs. Tek’s heart and rigorous decathlon training prepared him for the extraordinary work he would face in his transition to quadriplegia. Determined to finish his education at Penn State, Tek’s tenacity helped him earn a BA in Speech Communications and a BS from Smeal College of Business in 1995. He earned an MBA from Smeal in 1998.
Tek channeled his immense love for track and field into coaching, and he spent many years coaching at State High. He was an Assistant Coach for the State High Boys and Girls track teams, including the 2016 State Champion Boys AAA Track and Field team. He began his coaching career as a volunteer for 5 years before joining as a staff member. In a 2016 Town & Gown interview, Head Coach Steve Shisler said, “Tom has an outstanding ability to relate to high school kids of today. He has knowledge of virtually all the different events that track and field offers. While he doesn’t have the ability to demonstrate, he’s able to translate the knowledge that’s in his head from years of competing.”
Tek passed away in March 2024. In his obituary, his family noted, “We can’t begin to accurately list all of those whom he coached, especially vault and hurdles. We can absolutely say if you were coached by Tek, you were a part of our family’s conversation, for years. He loved you; he talked about you and made you a part of our family. Tom shared the successes and challenges, your family stories, your college careers, and beyond. His pride in your performances is significant, but his love for you is legendary and you remain a special part of our family.”
Tek had a successful career as a senior research analyst with Vantage Investment Advisors (which later became Mariner Wealth). Co-workers recall his tenacity and gracious demeanor. Tek devoted his professional career to exceeding the expectations of the company, its President & CEO Rob Thomas who hired Tek, and their clients.
Tek is survived by his devoted mother, Elizabeth L. Kleban, and these siblings: Patricia Kleban Klaus and husband William of Cincinnati, Ohio; George R. Kleban and his wife, Patricia McCool Kleban of Bluffton, South Carolina; Richard M. Kleban and his wife, Deborah Koontz Kleban, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Carolyn Kleban Fry and her husband, Scott, of State College. He was also a devoted uncle to a long list of nieces and nephews, many of whom followed in his track and field footsteps.
