Larkins Hall isn’t a circus, but it houses a well-respected clown.
Ken “Chief” Crissman, maintenance supervisor of the Department of Recreational Sports, won the annual Antioch Shrine “Clown of the Year” award for west central Ohio. He travels the country entertaining sick children at hospitals, parades and circuses.
“It’s an honor and I love to see children happy,” Crissman said.
He’s been performing as Pappo for 22 years. He recalled laying on his back to perform for a girl who was recovering from spinal surgery and was forced to lay face-down on her bed.
“You do what it takes to try to bring a smile to their face,” Crissman said.
His wife of 47 years, Janis Crissman, said the award is well-deserved.
“I’m not surprised. He deserves it. He’s put in enough time over (at the Antioch Shrine),” she said.
Diane Jensen, associate director of the Department of Recreational Sports, said Crissman’s optimistic personality carries over into day-to-day activities.
“I wouldn’t say he is a clown in the office, but he is upbeat and approaches most everything in that manner,” Jensen said. “He seems genuinely interested in his coworkers.”
Crissman was dubbed “Chief” while serving in the Navy as a chief petty officer for 30 years, retiring in 1988. He served in the Korean War for three of those years.
“I was aboard ship so it was wonderful. Being out to sea, it was nice,” he said.
Crissman is the oldest of three siblings. He has four children, eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren which keep him active, he said.
Crissman grew up in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where he graduated from Bellefontaine High School in 1951. He also met his wife in Bellefontaine. While in high school, Crissman was a member of the school’s marching band.
“I played trombone and haven’t played one since,” Crissman said. “When I graduated, so did that trombone.”
Growing up, Crissman spent his summers on his grandfather’s farm near Clifton, Ohio.
“The farm was about 120 acres, and I’d milk cows, plow fields, drive a team of horses, make hay, etc.,” he said.
In the early ’90s, Chief and his family vacationed in England and Iceland, where his son, Bill, was stationed in the Navy.
“Iceland is great,” Crissman said. “We just toured around countryside and visited with family.”
Janis Crissman will never forget her time in Iceland.
“It was really fascinating,” she said. “We went to Gulfoss Falls, which was as beautiful as Niagra Falls, but no one was there besides our party of six.”
Crissman’s coworkers said they are delighted that he returned to the mainland.
“He has an outstanding, caring personality that many people don’t know about,” said Michael Dunn, director of the Department of Recreational Sports.
“With all of his experiences, he has excellent problem-solving abilities. He has high expectations of others and their ability to be mutually respectful of others. He loves working in the university setting.”
Beau Rugg, an associate director in the deparmtent, echoed Dunn’s sentiments.
“Chief is a giving person. He has helped me at home with everything from setting a new toilet to helping me put together a Barbie car for my daughter’s Christmas present,” Rugg said. “Chief let me hide the car after we put it together several weeks before Christmas. He was so thrilled that I brought a picture of my daughter driving the car into work the next week. He just loves seeing kids happy.”
Janis Crissman said that like anyone else, her husband is not without flaws.
“He’s very outgoing, very kind, but he’s moody. He does not gossip at all. I can’t even get a good conversation going about anyone,” she said.
Chief said he enjoys his job that he’s held for the last 15 years, but there is one annoyance that stands out.
“I don’t like attending never-ending meetings,” Crissman said. “They have meetings for meetings.”
Despite the meetings, Crissman said he eagerly awaits the destruction of Larkins Hall. He has an eye on the future.
“It’s falling apart. I’m excited about the new Larkins. I hope my health holds up. I have no plans to retire,” Crissman said.
His wife said she has no qualms with her husband’s desire to continue working.
“It’s fine as long as he can do the work correctly,” Janis Crissman said. “A lot of the time people just fall apart after retirement.”
