Stories

Kenny gave me a really hard time about how bad I was at making movies on my phone but I will share this one anyway. Ken and I traveled together for 23 days in September/October 2014 aboard the beautiful Meka. Link below to see the video.


Suzan was Kenny's first PADI student.  Wow that was a long time ago.  He took his PADI instructors role very seriously.  We did the open water portion at Roger Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.






Did you ever hear about the time "Buddy", that's what we called Kenny until he was in high school, took Suzan on the back of his Honda 125. They were riding around in the empty TG&Y parking lot in St. Cloud.  Well it was almost empty, except for that one parked car and the barking dog.  Buddy was kicking at the dog which came nipping at his leg, I was screaming some nonsense and yes, you guessed we crashed into the car.  Brush it off and get going again.  Suzan was left standing in the parking lot and walked home grateful for surviving that brief shared moment. 


Ken age 14 St Cloud High



Every picture tells a story 


Bruce Brooks
Bruce Brooks relates, "More than 40 years ago my Uncle Dan and I decided to paddle a boat from the St. Cloud Boat Basin to the Canal. Didn't think we were going to make it, much less paddle all the way back. Buddy, as he was called then, saved us from a very long walk home, as he lived very close by.
Another time Uncle Dan and I thought we would rescue a boat that had been half submerged in the Boat Basin for some time. The only thing stopping us was a snake in the false bottom. Kenny came, and a short time later, we were proud boat owners for a few weeks til the owner recognized it in our driveway. Damn good times. 
The regret I feel for never having made it down to see him in the Virgin Islands will haunt me forever. But I am thankful for these memories and others we had later in our lives."
January 3, 2015
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Peggy Palmer, Kenny's sister, wrote
"Kenny, Ken, Buddy, and even briefly, Andy - yes, he changed his name when he changed schools. But for family, he was mostly Buddy.  Buddy took to the role of "Navy brat", like  a fish to water. He was inventive and brave and laughed in the face of authority. These early days of childhood, moving every 2 or 3 years, made him quick-on-his-feet, adaptable, self-assured, and courageous.  He was eager to push the envelope, try new things, and have adventures.

This is the story of the time he took me - his older, conservative, "fraidy-cat" sister - on a great bold adventure.  It was 1967 and I was 14 and Buddy was 12.  Okay, so now you know how old I am.  Our parents took just the two of us to the 1967 Expo in Montreal, Canada.  They left us to explore on our own -  to meet them back in 2 hours.

Lines for the exhibits were very long - over an hour's wait for some. The longest line was to the Russian exhibit. This was during the cold war and everyone wanted a glimpse into everyday Russian life.  We really wanted to see that exhibit, but if we stood in the line it would eat up all the parent-free time we had.
Ken, ever so brave and inventive, hatched a plan that he said was fool-proof (I said it was ridiculous).  But he convinced me to do it. He got me to put my fears aside and follow him.  I agreed because he was so charismatic.  Do you know the definition of charisma?  It has 2 parts.  I care FOR you, and I can take care OF you. 

Well, he had lots of charisma... right?

He took me by the hand and led me to the back exit of the Russian exhibit.  Of course, in my memory the guards were all decked out in Russian military garb with rifles, but I'll never know if that is true...Anyway, suffice it to say, I was a 14 year old who was very much afraid of Russians.

Buddy told the guards that I had left my purse inside and that we wanted to quickly go in and get it.  We would be right back out. They bought the story!...or indulged two cute kids ...who knows.

We ran inside against the flow of people - up the down escalator - have you ever tried that - it is difficult!  We ran all the way to the beginning and got into the flow of people and made our leisurely way through the exhibit.  I do not remember the exhibit, but I will never forget my little brother becoming this awesome, fearless leader to me that day.  I trusted him as my Captain that day...and something changed in our relationship from that point on.

I knew without a doubt that if I was ever in a tight spot or fearful and needing to solve a problem using creativity and guts, that I could count on Buddy to help me.  I will miss being able to ask him for advice, but he left me a legacy of his fearless way of thinking.  I just say, "What would Buddy do?".  This is one of the gifts he gave me in childhood that I use today.  I still have more fear than he had, but I do have a way of looking at problems with "possibility thinking".  He was a fearless Captain - creative and charismatic in his leadership - and we can all remember and cherish this point of view and carry it into our lives."
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The Bus the Memphis, by Peggy Palmer

I was 13 and Buddy was 11 and our mother felt we should be able to take the bus to Memphis - just to prove we could. It was scary on two major counts - we had to change buses half-way, and we couldn't miss the last return bus from Memphis to Frayser.
Granny lived a short walking distance from the transfer point, so we could abort our trip, but we didn't want to - it was a matter of pride.
We had enough money to shop at Goldsmith Department store and we could walk around Court Square and stop at Youth for Christ (YFC) - all around Court Square only.  We made a ten cent pay phone call from Youth for Christ to let her know we had arrived. Aside: we knew YFC because we sang there - the three Lundy's singing in sweet harmony tunes like "Heaven is a Wonderful Place", which Kenny remembered every word - to my amazement years later.
This was scary, but just something you did.  Push the boundaries.  See what you could accomplish.  She was instilling confidence.  Also it was pretty safe and maybe she even had someone looking out for us in town - her spies - who knows. 
Today, in 2015, our mother would be locked up for child neglect.  That was 1966. A mere 2 years before Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis, and the place was turned upside down.