ISHPEMING – The Rev. Rudolph Kemppainen’s resume is nine pages long, so it’s easy to see he has had a busy life, both in the ministry and in service to the community.

Looking back, Kemppainen said the 60 years since his ordination into the Lutheran ministry have passed quickly.

“The years have gone by fast,” he said. “I have been so much involved in leadership positions in the church and the community. Time has moved swiftly on.”

That leadership includes being the longest serving member of the board overseeing mental health services in the community, now called Pathways.

“Pathways honored me by naming the board room in my honor,” Kemppainen said. That room dedication came earlier this year.

“I also served the church in many capacities as a leader,” he said. “I was the dean of the district for the Lutheran Church in America and was the first president of the Northern Great Lakes Synod for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.”

The list of ways he’s served is enormous, but here are a few more examples:

• Member of the Bell Memorial Hospital board of trustees for nine years

• Chairman of the Ishpeming Housing Commission for nine years

• Member of the Kiwanis for 20-plus years including several years as president

• Past member of the board of trustees at Finlandia University

• Six two-year terms as president of the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards

• Member of the National Behavioral Health Care Council, representing a five-state area for seven years

Kemppainen also was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by Finlandia University.

Renee Prusi can be contacted at 906-228-2500, ext. 240. Her email address is rprusi@miningjournal.net.