- President, Theta Xi Fraternity — 1956-1959
- Silver Beaver Award, Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America — 1979
- Thomas D. Cochran Community Service Award, Missouri Bar — 1983
- Parent/Caretaker Award, Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities — 1988
- President, Rotary International — 2010-2011
- Man of Distinction, Theta Xi Fraternity — 2018
Klinginsmith is a former member of the Executive Board for the Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America and a former lay speaker for the First United Methodist Church in Kirksville, and a life member of the Mizzou Alumni Association. His wife, Judie, passed away in 2020. They have two children, Leigh and Kurt, and three grandchildren, Morgan, Grant, and Sydney.
“That's cowboy logic, every cowboy's got it. He's got a simple solution to just about anything.” — Michael Martin Murphey