Kathy Kline
The sponsor for the future USS KINGSVILLE is Kathy Kline, the daughter of Sue and Dr. Richard G. Sugden, M.D. (a member of the King Ranch family).
Kathy Kline was raised and has lived full-time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the past 21 years. Kathy attended the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design, the field in which she has been involved for 30 years. Her love of the history of Architecture and Design compelled her to bring her talents to both the commercial and residential design fields. Kathy recently relocated to New York City, a city that has always held a passion within her, and continues her work in the field of Interior Design.
Kathy is a very proud mom to two confident and compassionate daughters – Charlotte, a PreMed sophomore at the University of Arizona and Audrey, a graduating senior at Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the alma mater of their Mom and Uncle, Glenn Sugden.
Kathy earned her pilot’s license 13 years ago, following int he footsteps (baby footsteps!) of her father, a family physician, former Naval Flight Surgeon and collector and aviator of WWII aircrafts. Her father’s co-pilot, Kathy’s mother, Sue Sugden, has been a role model to her and her girls, always available with words of wisdom and support.
Kathy is a member of the sixth generation of King Ranch Family, descendants of Captain Richard King who founded the King Ranch located in Kingsville, Texas in 1853. The town of Kingsville was founded in 1904, after Captain King’s wife, Henrietta, deeded 40,000 acres from the King Ranch to be available for the development of the Townsite. The Naval Air Station Kingsville, located three miles from Kingsville, was founded in 1942 and continues a special relationship with the King Ranch.
Kathy is very honored to have been chosen by Richard Spencer, former Secretary of the Navy, to take on the role of the sponsor of the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36), and to represent the town of Kingsville and her King Ranch Family through this distinguished honor.
A central figure in a ship’s life is the sponsor. Chosen by the Secretary of the Navy, a ship’s sponsor is a female who is typically selected for her relationship to the namesake or to the ship’s current mission in accordance with SECNAV Instruction 5031.1C.
Once selected, the sponsor maintains that role for the entire commissioned life of the ship. The sponsor selects a maid/matron(s) of honor to help her execute her official and unofficial roles. The maid/matron of honor can serve as a proxy at events, and if the sponsor steps down from the role or dies while the ship is in commission, the primary maid/matron of honor will represent the sponsor in all official sponsorship duties.
With roles like maid/matron of honor, the wedding theme is carried throughout the commissioning ceremony with the employment of flower girls.