The Maltempi family is not your average Kent State family. Three generations of the Maltempi family have attended Kent State University and are proud to have seven family members who have graduated from or are currently attending Kent State.
Carlo Maltempi, an immigrant and first-generation student, started this Kent State legacy when he began as a student in 1964. Carlo received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees in Spanish from Kent State and was on campus until 1970. Carlo Maltempi was a graduate assistant in 1970 working on his thesis and getting ready to graduate during the unrest on campus.
Carlo’s son, Vince Maltempi, also a Kent State graduate, recalls the stories his father would tell regarding his time at Kent State, especially in 1970.
“He tells this fascinating story that the whole year you could feel the tension on campus building and building,” Vince Maltempi said.
As Vince tells it, on May 4, Carlo Maltempi and a friend, Jerry Weiner, took a walk around campus and decided to head to the Commons as they had heard there would be protests going on that day.
“He always said May 4 was a beautiful day out,” Vince Maltempi said. “But, he knew right away that things were different because, that week, he started to see a lot of people from out of town on campus.”
Carlo Maltempi could feel the tension shaping up in the area and urged himself and Weiner to leave. Later that day, Maltempi would give the oral defense of his master’s thesis. During his defense, Kent State would go into a two-day lockdown due to the events of May 4. Ultimately, Carlo Maltempi successfully completed his oral defense and was able to safely leave campus.
Roughly 21 years later, Vince Maltempi started his Kent State journey in 1991, shortly followed by his two younger brothers. He says his father’s experiences during May 4 only ever positively influenced his sons and gave them more of a reason to feel connected to Kent State and its history.
“Attending the memorials, seeing the bell on the Commons, every documentary, every book, I looked for every single thing I could find about it,” Vince said. “I used to ask my dad about it constantly. He always said the Kent State students weren’t the troublemakers. He was with them; he was one of them.”
Vince Maltempi says there was never another school talked about in their house. “There was never really a question growing up,” Vince said. “When I graduated high school, I didn’t even apply to other schools, Kent State was the only place that I wanted to go.”
The Maltempi family story continued to grow during Vince’s time on campus. He even met his wife, Laurie, at Kent State in the second semester of their freshman year. They stayed close until they eventually began dating in the last month of their senior year.
The two spent their time together in Satterfield Hall, at Rockne’s or attending dances hosted by the Spanish and Latine Student Association (SALSA). They graduated together, with degrees in Spanish, in 1994.
Vince was also able to enjoy time on campus with his two brothers for a year when they were all enrolled at Kent State.
“It all worked out that the three of us took Intro to Biology together,” Vince said. “That was a fun semester.”
Fast forward to 2018, and the first of Vince and Laurie Maltempi’s children committed to Kent State. Sally Maltempi is a fifth-year biochemistry major. She now shares campus with her brother CJ, a sophomore digital media production major.
The two younger Maltempi children already have ties to Kent State as well. Dale Maltempi is a high school senior and was just accepted to attend Kent State for fall 2023.
Lucy Maltempi, who is in the eighth grade, finds her own ways to be involved with Kent State even at a young age. She currently sings in Kent’s community gospel choir with older siblings Sally and CJ.
As an alumnus, Vince loves staying connected to the Kent State community by attending his children’s events, walking on campus whenever possible and attending Kent State hockey games.
Vince says his family keeps coming back to Kent State because of the top-level programs, the gorgeous campus and, most importantly, the sense of community that is fostered among students and faculty at Kent State.
The Maltempi family has shown how a story beginning with immigration and tinged with tragedy can grow into a family legacy and love for a school that has provided lifelong memories for each generation.
The 53rd Commemoration is set for May 3 and May 4 with a schedule of events that includes the annual Jerry Lewis Lecture Series, a special screening of the film “Young Plato” and panel discussion with filmmakers, Candlelight Walk and Vigil, and the noon gathering on the Commons.