October 5, 2020 – The Santa Fe College community mourns the loss of Louis Kalivoda, who passed away Friday, Oct. 2, at the age of 71 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Louis was raised in Palatka and earned degrees from both Santa Fe College and UF. With 20 years of active government and community service already under his belt, Louis started his career with SF in 1986, first holding positions as an instructor, professional specialist, and coordinator of government relations. He worked tirelessly with Florida Senator George Kirkpatrick and senior SF staff to obtain funding for the Institute of Public Safety (IPS) that opened in 1995 at the Kirkpatrick Center. Louis transitioned to IPS in 1996 as a program coordinator, and from 2005 until his retirement in 2016 he was the sole advising specialist for all IPS programs.
“Louis was a legend at IPS,” said IPS Director Tom Ackerman. “Students and staff loved him dearly. IPS is a better place because of Louis, mostly because of his genuine compassion for others and his warm heart.”
Following his retirement, Louis served as a volunteer at the Fisher House on the campus of the Malcom Randall Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville, where the VA houses military families who visit relatives admitted to the hospital. He was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his death. A memorial service is tentatively planned for Saturday, Oct. 10, at noon at Holy Faith Catholic Church in Gainesville. For anyone unable to attend, you can watch a video stream of the service.