TraciWA Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 A Tribute to Chris Klicka (now with Jesus) By Israel Wayne | October 12, 2009 My friend, Chris Klicka went home to be with Jesus today October 12, 2009 around 11:00 am, CST. In 1985, Christopher J. Klicka joined the Home School Legal Defense Association and served as Senior Counsel as well as Director of State and International Relations. During his early tenure there led pioneering research on the legality of home schooling in all fifty states. Chris has since argued numerous precedent-setting cases, including a couple of state Supreme Court cases, and handled scores of administrative appeals on behalf of homeschoolers. He has successfully represented thousands of families with their legal conflicts. Chris earned his B.A. from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania in 1982, and his Juris Doctorate from O.W. Coburn School of Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was a member of the bars of the Virginia Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court, the Fourth Circuit District of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court of Virginia (Eastern Division). Chris came to know Christ as a young teenager and was enrolled in one of the campus schools of the Church of Christian Liberty, run by Christian education pioneer, Dr. Paul Lindstrom. He also served in the early days with the Rutherford Institute and assisted Dr. John Whitehead in his research and writings on home education. Since 1985, with HSLDA, Chris intervened on behalf of thousands of homeschool families across the country who have been threatened by prosecutors, social workers, and truant officers. He represented many homeschooling families in court and testified before numerous state legislatures and Congress. He directed a staff of 10 lawyers and legal assistants and together they annually handled 10,000 legal conflicts/issues and monitor and lobbied the 50 state legislatures. A popular national speaker, he authored several books including Home Schooling: The Right Choice, The Heart of Home Schooling, and, Home School Heroes. I know that his daughter, Bethany, was helping him to compile a couple of books that he was writing, including a devotional book on dealing with suffering. In 1994, Chris was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, but he continued to defend the rights of homeschoolers, even after being confined to a wheelchair, and losing much of his physical abilities. He has been a great inspiration for many of us who have watched him face these challenges. During this time he made many international trips on behalf of homeschoolers and spoke at homeschooling conferences in many other nations. Chris and his wife, Tracy, have been educating five of their seven children at home in Virginia, having graduated their two oldest children, one of whom is married and both of whom are in college. Most of all, Chris was a friend, to me and many others. He really, genuinely cared about people. I’ve been impressed with his commitment to the Lord, his tenacious desire to evangelize and tell people about Jesus, his constant references in conversation to his wife and children, and how much he loved and appreciated them, and of course his dedication to seeing families maintain their God-given rights to train their children in the ways of the Lord through homeschooling. I’ve considered him a mentor and I am looking forward to seeing him again in heaven. I’ll miss you in the meantime though brother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Thanks for sharing this Traci. We've been praying for him and his family. Praying for His peace and comfort on all his family and friends on this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I've also been praying for the family. He left a legacy that will always point others to the Savior, to the glory of God. May his family be comforted until they are together again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 May his memory be eternal. Twenty seven years ago I went to my first homeschool conference. It was illegal to homeschool at the time. Chris Klicka (and others like him) spent a lifetime securing freedoms for me and mine. His family can be proud of such a man, even as they mourn his loss. Very well spoken, Patty Joanna. People like Chris Klicka were trailblazers for the homeschooling community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 May his memory be eternal. Twenty seven years ago I went to my first homeschool conference. It was illegal to homeschool at the time. Chris Klicka (and others like him) spent a lifetime securing freedoms for me and mine. His family can be proud of such a man, even as they mourn his loss. Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Thanks so much for posting this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Thank you for posting. I had been praying for him and his family through this time. I just said another prayer for peace and grace towards his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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