Anyone that has ever met Ken knows about his love of learning and experiencing all that the world has to offer. When I was a kid, he was into spelunking (or caving as some call it) and he convinced my dad (Ken’s brother Ralph), my brother Eric, and me to go spelunking with him. He made all the arrangements with the owner of the cave and collected the lights, helmets, and other equipment we needed. The cave was not some commercialized site, of course, that would not have been authentic enough for Ken; the cave entrance was marked only by a wooded sinkhole in a farm field. We spent several hours in the cave, squeezing through narrow openings and marveling at grand caverns while learning things about the cave that had to be experienced in person. This trip was a great experience of my childhood but also a great example of Ken’s way of life where reading or even seeing something in person was not enough, he had to experience every nuance and become immersed in every detail.

Troy Dermota