According to his friends and colleagues, there were many ways to describe Keith Roberts, including “optimist,” “gregarious kid magnet,” and “a man with a heart for people in need.”
Roberts, long-time teacher, former Columbia Heights school board member, theater arts advocate and community activist, died August 8 at age 58.
Louise Roberts, his wife, said that his death had resulted from an accident. Keith was home alone working on her car when it apparently rolled over him and pinned him. Neighbors, who did not see what happened, heard a noise and called 911. An ambulance took Roberts to Hennepin County Medical Center, where doctors diagnosed severe brain injury. He never regained consciousness.
Bill Hugo, family friend and pastor at St. Matthew Church in Columbia Heights, officiated at the funeral. “It was not a sad occasion,” he said. “We had so many people there whose lives he had touched. He had a big heart for the community. The funeral turned into a day of Thanksgiving.”
Roberts, who had joined the church with Louise in 1989, founded the church’s theater group 20 years ago. “He was the driving force behind it,” Hugo said. “He always did what was necessary to meet a need. Keith’s motto was, ‘If I don’t do it, who will?’The other thing he helped start was our church’s annual Thanksgiving dinners. We’ve been serving them for 21 years; they are free and open to anyone. Keith wanted people who didn’t have a home or the means to have a dinner to be able to come here and enjoy one. Last year we served 704 people.”
Tom Shaw, principal of Coon Rapids Middle School, said that Roberts had taught English Language Arts at the school for 30 years. “He was involved in talent development. He led all our plays and was the theater director. He was an assistant speech coach for Centennial and Anoka high schools. Keith was a storyteller; kids gravitated toward him. He was very interactive in the classroom, and he liked to get kids involved. He got them into debates, he held Socratic seminars. He was very positive, and great with his colleagues.
“As a principal, I loved having him around because he was a glass half full kind of guy,” Shaw added. “No matter what was going on, even budget cuts, he stayed upbeat. Because he was both a teacher and a school board member, he had a unique perspective. He understood the big picture.
“He also had a huge impact on the theater community in the Anoka Hennepin school district. He did musicals and he loved to push the limits. He even brought Xanadu, that old Olivia Newton John vehicle, to our middle school. He didn’t use the same kids as leads every time. He believed that everybody should get a shot, and he gave kids their big opportunity. Our stage and theatre are not very well-funded; to say we operate on a shoestring is an understatement. But he always managed to get things done,” Shaw said.
“His funeral was very crowded. Even though it was summer and harder to get the word out, there were a lot of kids there. A group of theater kids sang a song from ‘Into the Woods’ as a tribute to him,” Shaw said.
Kathy Kelly, Columbia Heights School Superintendent, said that Roberts was already on the school board when she joined the district in 1998 as coordinator of teaching and learning. “He was a teacher, and he was all about professional development for staff, and academic rigor for kids. He was also very jazzed up about programs for gifted and talented students. His head was in academics, and his heart was in the arts. He championed equity, and he wanted our students to have access to all kinds of different opportunities, particularly in the arts.
“In the 16 years that he was on the school board, he served as chair, vice chair, clerk, treasurer, and director. Keith was a consummate teacher. He also understood things as a parent and a community member. He was a great mentor to kids, other board members, and to me. He had a curious mind, and he asked good questions, in a non-threatening way, about what people were doing.”
“Along with other school board members, he really supported creating positive play spaces for students,” Kelly said. “That led to our Highlander gymnasium project in collaboration with the city of Columbia Heights. It offers spaces for kids to be engaged in positive ways. The city has won awards for that collaboration. It forged a different relationship with city and school board, the superintendent, the mayor, the city manager and the police chiefs.
“Keith was also active in the Minnesota School Board Association,” Kelly added. “I’m going to miss him. He will be missed and long-remembered.”
Former Columbia Heights School Board member Tammy Schmitz said that she met Roberts when she started on the school board in 1997. (She served until 2004.) “During the time we were together, there were budget cuts that had to be made, and we went through two superintendent searches, Dr. Behlow and Dr. Kaldor. If I remember correctly, we also had to cut 10% of our budget, and we were trying to find ways for the community to talk to the school board. That’s when we started the Listening Sessions.
“Keith really helped me learn my role,” Schmitz added. “His help was really invaluable. He had a huge passion to make sure that kids had a quality and meaningful education. He had a heart for people in need. Someone at the funeral said that Keith made everybody feel like family. I think we’re going to be missing a family member in our community.”
Roberts co-founded the Columbia Heights Fine Arts Foundation, a group that produces plays and raises money for scholarships. In 2013, he joined forces with Columbia Heights Recreation program coordinator Liz Bray to found a Public Arts Commission in the city. Its purpose is to encourage excellence in the city’s visual design and public arts; strengthen community identity, place and assets; contribute to the city’s health and vitality; involve a broad range of people and communities; value artists and artistic processes; and use resources wisely.
Ryan Palmer, Columbia Heights High School band director, said he had worked on several committees with Roberts. “Five years ago, I wanted to start a community band based out of the high school. Keith helped us start Symphonic Winds, as part of the Columbia Heights Fine Arts Foundation group. We had our fourth season last spring. I found Keith deeply committed to students and their education, especially when it related to the arts. He had a passion for bringing the arts community alive in Columbia Heights and he kick started a lot of programs. He was a very friendly guy, very easy to talk to. If you had a goal or a dream, he helped make it happen. His work day didn’t end when the bell rang.”
Louise Roberts said that Keith grew up in Wadena, Minn. He attended Moorhead State College, majoring in English, speech, and theater. His first teaching job was in Ortonville, Minn. “I met him when he came to Minneapolis to work on his master’s degree. We both had part-time jobs at B. Dalton in Rosedale. He started working at Coon Rapids Middle School in fall, 1986, the same year we were married. Our 30th wedding anniversary would have been August 16.
“Keith was meant to be a teacher,” Louise said. “He went from being one of the young guys to the old man at that school. He loved teaching and mentoring other teachers.”
Roberts is survived by his wife, sons Richard and Zachary, brothers Bill and Charles, and sister Bonnie. The funeral service was August 13.