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Hernando Today

Spring Lake Teen Heads To Military School

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: August 18, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Christopher Parker Kline is the kind of kid who was born to attend military school.

Naturally well-behaved, the 16-year-old Spring Lake resident is disarmingly polite and disciplined - the kind of teenager you'd trust with your car or wallet. He wears a uniform proudly and wants a strict military education that will give him the best shot at acceptance to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., when he finishes high school.

And with the help of local residents, a business owner and his mentor, Chris is working to pay his own way through the Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg.

Chris attended the school in seventh grade, but returned home due to the school's $32,000-per-year boarding tuition. Since he is an only child and his father is deceased, his mother is raising him alone.

"He's a legend there, and I never knew," said his mother, Deborah-Kay Kline. "We went to the school's graduation this year, and all of the teachers and staff asked, 'When are you coming back?'"

While he attended Hernando High School in Brooksville for the past two years, he has spent years longing to return to the St. Petersburg school. His father and both grandfathers served in the U.S. Army, and he hopes to eventually be commissioned in the military.

Enter Chris' mentor, William Hembree, an 80-year-old practicing dentist in Jacksonville, Fla., and former U.S. Navy fighter pilot. A longtime friend of Chris' mother, Hembree has put 12 students through school, and struck a deal with him: as long as Chris worked toward paying his own way, he would match every dollar he earned.

"(Dr. Hembree) said, 'We've got to send you back,'" Chris said. "Admiral Farragut is the No. 1 prep school in the state, and it's a 100 percent college-bound school. I'll have a much better chance of getting into Annapolis."

And work he has.

Since April, he has spent months detailing cars, mowing lawns, landscaping and any other work residents were willing to pay him for. He earned $5,600, and learned a lot of important "life lessons" along the way, his mother said.

"He learned about different jobs and personalities. Some people felt it was a deal and some stiffed him," Kline said.

She recalled one person who gave Chris $2 for detailing their car, while another gave him $100.

However, most donations ranged from $10 to $20, and came from people they knew, they said.

Now, he still needs to raise $12,000 for this year's tuition - and Chris Fuller, owner of Brooksville Transmission, has agreed to help him.

Fuller, a disabled veteran, said he felt touched to hear of Chris' quest from his mother, who was in his shop one day getting her car serviced. He offered to host a fundraiser.

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, Fuller will have food, drinks and coupons for 20 percent off service work, with car washes given by volunteers from Spring Lake United Methodist Church.

For every person who presents a coupon for service work, Fuller will donate the difference to Chris' cause, and has volunteered to host future fundraisers at his business, as well.

"It's rare to see a young man that really wants to start a career," Fuller said. "You see other kids at Wal-Mart with their pants down to their kneecaps - but you can tell by Chris' demeanor and the way he presents himself that he wants to become something. Anything I can do to help him out."

Chris left for school Thursday, and will move Friday into the room he'll share for the year. There, he will have two hours of mandatory studying each night, wear uniforms and abide by a strict demerit system.

His mother said she couldn't be more proud of his choice of schools.

"It's a place he can feel safe and excel, and doesn't have to worry about being under siege from kids who don't want to learn," she said. "He's very passionate about it."

As a long-term goal, Chris said he hopes to eventually become a general in the U.S. Marine Corps "for (his) freedom," he said.

To pay for next year's tuition, they hope to plan fundraiser golf tournaments in Hernando, Pinellas and Duval counties.

For more information, visit Chris's Web site at www.chris kline.info.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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