Milton P. Kayle

1922 - 2012
Milton P. Kayle, age 89, one of the last surviving members of President Harry S. Truman's White House staff, died February 19, 2012. Kayle, White House Special Assistant to the President, resided in Glenview, Il. He and his wife of 68 years, Dorothy Phyllis, grew up in Utica, NY where they met as teenagers. A Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year at Hamilton College, he graduated in 1943, after which he joined the army seeing armed combat on the European front. He attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1948. Following stints with the War Labor Board, the Budget Bureau and the Office of Defense Mobilization, Kayle joined the Truman Administration in 1951.

In 1953, he moved to New York and embarked on a corporate legal career representing television and sports personalities, such as Jackie Gleason, Merv Griffin and Jackie Robinson. He also negotiated television production and syndication contracts for programs including the "Howdy Doody Show" and "Lassie." Later, he became a pioneer in merchandise licensing with clients such as the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, Expo '67 in Montreal, HemisFair '68 in San Antonio, the Picasso estate, the Major League Players Association and the American Football League Players Association. For many years he was "of counsel" to Park Avenue law firm, Gilbert, Segall and Young where, among many others, he represented ballet doyenne, Rebecca Harkness.

Kayle was an active alum of Hamilton College, where he served as Trustee and developed their deferred giving program. In 2006 he was presented with the Hamilton Alumni Association Bell Ringer Award in recognition of his contributions to the College. Kayle was a Board Member, Officer and Trustee of The Harry S. Truman Library Institute in Independence, MO. In addition, he belonged to the Judson Welliver Society, an organization of former presidential speechwriters. Kayle resided for 51 years in New Rochelle, NY where he served on the Board of Temple Israel.

Kayle is survived by his wife, Dorothy nee Slater; his two loving daughters, Jennifer Kayle Posner of Evanston, Illinois and Hilary Kayle Crist of Stockton, NJ; two sons-in law Jeff Posner and Dr. Peter Crist, grandchildren Emily (Josh) Posner, Risa (Joey) Wiener and Scott (Ali) Posner, as well as two great grandchildren, Max and Zoe Sobel. He was a dear brother of the late Leonard Kayle and Esther Harr. Remembrances may be made to The Truman Library Institute or Hamilton College.