Phil Klintworth was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois.  Aspiring to be an engineer, he was accepted at Purdue University.  However, to please his mother (who had been born in Detroit), he visited Ann Arbor to look at Michigan.  That was all it took.  He came to Michigan, graduating in 1962 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and a commission in the U.S. Navy through the Naval ROTC program.

Entering the submarine force, he spent 18 years at sea, serving in 6 submarines.  He commanded the ballistic missile submarine USS Theodore Roosevelt and the attack submarine USS Tautog.  His sea-going career includes 9 major deployments and 5 Polaris missile deterrent patrols.  On one of these deployments he led an expedition to the Arctic Ocean where his ship, USS Tautog, and a sister ship, USS Aspro, surfaced at the North Pole in November 1982.  This was the first time in history that two submarines surfaced at the North Pole in winter.

Subsequently, Phil commanded the U.S. Naval Submarine Base at San Diego.  During this tour he was at the starting line for the 1988 America’s Cup race (which was won by Dennis Conner and “Stars and Stripes 3”) and participated in the filming of the movie “The Hunt for Red October.”

By an incredible stroke of luck, Phil received orders to return to Ann Arbor in 1989 as Professor of Naval Science and Commanding Officer of the NROTC Unit at the University of Michigan.  He was the first Michigan NROTC alumnus to return as Commanding Officer.  He retired from the Navy in 1991 after more than 29 years of active service.

Subsequent to his naval career, Phil worked in the nuclear electric utility industry as an engineering consultant and fire protection engineer with Advent Engineering Services of Ann Arbor, MI and subsequently with Tetra Tech, a world-wide services company, when they acquired Advent.  He retired from his second career in 2018.

Phil and Kathryn were married in 1967 in Honolulu Hawaii.  After a dual career as a Navy wife and a teacher, Kathryn earned her doctorate from the University of Michigan and served for 20 years on the faculty of Concordia University, Ann Arbor.  Sadly, Kathy was lost to leukemia in 2016.  Phil and Kathy have two sons, Mark (of Ewa Beach, Hawaii), and Paul (of Eastvale, California).

Phil first became a Rotarian in 1984 as a member of the Bremerton, WA club while stationed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.  He was active on several club committees and the very first Polio Plus campaign.  Subsequently, he was a member of the Point Loma Rotary Club in San Diego while serving as Commanding Office of the Submarine Base there.

Phil became a member of the Ann Arbor Rotary Club in 1989, sponsored by Bob Hoffman and Pete Buley.  He has served on the Vocational Service Committee and the Directory Committee, and is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.  Phil has also mentored Rotaract students and planted a large number of trees.

Outside of Rotary, Phil is an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, the Wolverine Base of the United States Submarine Veterans organization, and the Huron Valley Council of the Navy League.  He also can be seen in the tuba section of the Plymouth Community Band.