By: Maria Allard | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published November 20, 2023
ROSEVILLE — When Theresa Genest was first elected to the Roseville Community Schools Board of Education in the late 1980s, she and the other board members had the task of appointing the new superintendent.
There was no doubt in her decision to name John Kment the district’s new top administrator. At that point, Genest had known Kment for many years and felt he was the right person for the job.
Genest is among the many community members mourning the loss of Kment, who died Nov. 2 at the age of 76. The dedicated educator had retired in 2019. Kment worked in the district for 51 years, and he served for 31 years as superintendent.
“He was my friend. I had known him from being the high school principal and when I was a PTO parent,” Genest said. “All of his decisions were based on what’s best for kids. He was very kind and very considerate of people.”
Genest, who is the current board president, remembers one piece of advice Kment gave to school officials when it came to hiring new staff members.
“If you ask them if they like kids and they hesitate, you don’t want them,” Genest said.
School officials have plans to celebrate the district’s 100-year anniversary during the 2024-25 school year. Because of Kment’s commitment to the district, he was invited to attend the different activities planned. Instead, “He’ll be there in spirit,” Genest said.
Kment began teaching in 1968. During his tenure, he was an assistant principal and athletic director of Brablec High School, and eventually he became Roseville High School principal and then district superintendent in 1988. He also worked as an adult education and community education director and served on many educational committees statewide. He left such an impression on the community that in 2009 the new Kment Elementary School, located at 20033 Washington St., was named after him.
He officially retired from the district in late July 2019 with current Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski named as his successor.
“I’m thankful for his trust in me to take on the new leadership role,” said Blaszkowski, who said he learned a lot from Kment. “He was able to manage and maintain our district’s finances through bond projects and millages, and keep our district as financially sound as possible.”
For the “likable and approachable” Kment, the students came first.
“He was very committed to helping all the kids find a path. He was visible. He was so well-known over the years to state politicians, families and city officials,” Blaszkowski said. “He was very supportive toward our staff for their careers or if (they wanted to) try something new.”
Blaszkowski admired Kment’s ability to network with people, and he never forgot a face.
“He could remember people’s names,” Blaszkowski said.
“He had such a great memory,” Genest said.
The first interaction Roseville Mayor Robert Taylor had with Kment dates back to the 1970s when Taylor was a student in Kment’s 11th grade social studies class at Brablec.
“He was a very highly educated young man at the time,” said Taylor, whose four children went through Roseville Community Schools. “He taught in a way everyone was able to follow him. He spoke very well. He was a fun guy to have as a teacher. He made people laugh. He had wisdom and was always full of energy.”
Kment always wanted people “to better themselves,” Taylor said. “He was an inspiration to everyone.”
Taylor echoed what Blaszkowski and Genest said about Kment’s ability to remember people. Taylor, who graduated in 1976, said Kment attended the class’s 30-year reunion.
“He knew everyone in that class,” Taylor said.
One activity in which Taylor got to better know Kment was the annual mock City Council meeting in which students shadowed city officials.
“I’ll always remember him,” Taylor said. “I think we’re all heartbroken.”
According to the website legacy.com, Kment is survived by his wife Julie (née Santoni) of 54 years, six children and 11 grandchildren. Visitation was held earlier this month at A. H. Peters Funeral Home in Warren. A Mass was held at St. Veronica Catholic Church in Eastpointe. Interment was at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township. Memorial donations can be made to the American Heart Association or Roseville Scholarship Foundation.