Lately in preparation for my 25th class reunion my thoughts have returned to my youth growing up in my hometown. I feel so lucky to have the life I have now, but so much of why I'm here now was set in motion all those years ago.
Below I'll do my best to explain my hometown, thank some people who influenced my life & make a plea for my classmates to attend our 25th reunion.
My hometown...
So for anyone who doesn't know, I'm from a very small town in southeastern Iowa named Keokuk. It's edges are created by the Des Moines & Mississippi Rivers. It's home to Lock & Dam 19 & the reigning Miss Iowa Nicole Kelly (we're pretty damn proud of that last part, she's an amazing girl)!
Basically... it's a river town with several industrial businesses that leverage Keokuk's location amongst areas of highly producing corn & soybean fields. It's amazing shipping access trifecta of railway, barge & highway systems make it very easy to get materials in & product out. We border Illinois & Missouri simultaneously & have quick access to Chicago, St. Louis & Minneapolis/St. Paul.
When you look at the state of Iowa's shape, we are the Florida of Iowa (as far southeast as possible). There even used to be a t-shirt in Iowa with the shape of the state on the front with a star in the southeast corner. On the back it said, "Keokuk isn't the end of the world, but you can see it from there!"...
Not-so basically... it's the place that created me. It made me the man, friend, father & husband I am today. It's also the town that created most of my closest friends & to some extent made them who they are today. It's where I am truly myself, it's where almost everyone knows my name & I know there's in return. It's the only place I'll ever call home, it's where they will lay me to rest & next to being in the company of my children it's my favorite place on earth.
I may live in the suburbs of Chicago, but Keokuk is my home.
My influences...
People wonder sometimes why I remain so tied to the place of my birth. Why 20+ years after I left I spend so much time returning there, why I have tried to buy businesses there, why I've volunteered to coach youth wrestlers there, why every other friend I have on Facebook is from Keokuk & why I've gone to great lengths to make sure my mother remains there among the people she loves so dear?
Frankly put, the answer is... I owe the people of that town. They were the ones who supported me, cheered me & treated me as their own all those years of my youth. They loved me when I wasn't anyone, when I didn't even know who I was...
Although my parents are Judy & Carl... I am at my core, a son of Keokuk!
There are people from my hometown that along with my parents, grandparents, uncles & aunts raised me into the man I am.
People like Bill Nash, Tom King, Wes Pohorsky, Brent Merydith, Earl Walrath, Jim Vandenberg, Jim Schnieder, Guy Rose & Jim Kersten (just to name a few).
Most of these men were my coaches at some point, but it wasn't the wrestling, football or track that I learned most from... It was what they represented to me & their example that has made the biggest impact. They never did the minimum, they were tirelessly giving of themselves, they never coached for the money, they did it to make the lives of children in Keokuk more inspired. Even greater than this is the fact that they did it with little to no fanfare because to them it's what was just... well... Expected.
These men were selfless, they took time from their own families, they worked hours without being paid (or paid very little), they even took money out of their own pockets to support the sport & kids they coached. They weren't just coaches in a small town either. To me they were motivators, advisors, therapists, defenders, father-figures & my idols.
I've looked back on their lessons, advice & examples several times over the years. And now that I'm a father, let me tell you, I refer back to them more than ever.
These men together with the teachers, the boosters, my friend's parents & my own mother & father are the reason I love where I came from... And why I will always support youth athletics in Keokuk (it changed my life). I will be forever in their debt, I'm thankful they touched my life & I will try to live my life paying it forward on their behalf.
So that's my hometown & my role-models... On to my friends!
My friends...
As I plan to return for my 25th reunion at the end of this month I find myself looking back on a few long-lost friends I haven't seen in awhile. I have a couple memories from our time together that I hold very close to my heart, they were times that defined me & they are etched into my memory. They were friends to me when I was just a kid & I hope they still call me friend today.
I have this friend, Dwayne Dietrich, we were on the middle school wrestling team together, he was built like a brick-shit-house & he was by far the strongest guy in our class. He was a few months older than I was & able to drive to school on a school-only permit (rural community, small busing budget, etc.). Which meant that he could drive as long as it was to or from school or a school-related event.
During wrestling season I was walking to school in the snow one morning, he was on his way to the same early practice so he picked me up along the way. After that he would divert from his approved route to pick me up & drive us to practice every morning.
Could you imagine a 14-15 year old kid sticking his neck out (risking driving privileges) so his buddy didn't have to freeze?
He would pull up in this vintage ford pickup truck... I remembered it had great pipes, cool tires & it shifted on the column (something you didn't see much in the 80's). Damn that truck was cool, I think he still has it!
Most mornings it was still dark around 6 am when he'd pick me up & it was almost always snowing... Two teenage boys driving on icy small town Iowa streets in conditions our elders even had a hard time getting around in. Half the time the damn snowplows were just getting out on the streets when we drove to practice.
I remember every once in awhile he'd throw it down a gear, slam the steering wheel one direction & do a donut. It scared the crap out of me, but no way would I admit it! He did tell the team, "I almost made Beaird shit his pants on the way to practice this morning!"...
It was early, it was cold & it really-really sucked, but in my mind it was a kid going out of his way for another... And to me it meant a lot... Thanks Dwayne!
I have this friend, Shon Phillips, he & I were on the high school wrestling team together. We were both young & had to cut weight. I remember during lunch (when everyone else in school ate) we would go downstairs to the wrestling room & ride bikes in our plastics.
Plastics were these rubbery suits that make your body sweat just by wearing them. I think they've since been outlawed or something like that but back in the day it was standard operating procedure.
It got so bad I eventually started wearing plastics under my clothes to the afternoon classes. For the longest time I felt embarrassed (I was very self conscious as a kid) walking into class wearing plastics, but my friend Shon started doing it too.
When he started doing it I forgot about my embarrassment & started to feel proud to do it. I eventually stopped worrying what others thought of me because I had friends like Shon. By the time I was done I wore them like a badge of courage... In fact others on the team started doing it too... It wasn't healthy, but misery likes company.
I also remember being miserable cutting weight & he used to say "Come on KB, lets do a couple more laps/up-downs/sprints" with a big damn smile on his face that willed me to get up & go again. He was one of the only people who called me "KB" & I'll remember that forever. Thanks for the motivation SP!
I have this friend, Jimmy Dickens, he & I were on the high school football team together. That son of a bitch hit harder than any other person on the team. He & I were two of the smallest players on the team, but he hit like a Mack truck... When we did tackle drills all I saw was stars!
I remember Pat Leggett, Brad Hoppe & I were complete masochists back then & would fight for the place in line to go against Jimmy during tackle drills... We were young & very dumb!
Jimmy hit with reckless abandon, he had no fear & I swear he's responsible for more brain damage in my head than wrestling & drinking ever did!
After high school Jim enlisted in the armed forces & became a soldier. He came home, got married & started a family. I hope I get a chance to tell him again how proud I am of him. Thanks Jimmy.
Those are just 3 people I'm looking forward to seeing at my reunion. I bet I have a story like those for almost every classmate.
Yet another reason I'm so grateful to have grown up in Keokuk.
My plea...
I've recently become aware of a couple people that might not come to our reunion because they are worried about being judged. It's to them that I plea... Please Come!
There is no judging in this crew anymore. The judges have been let go & that action has been outlawed!
All that attend reunions at our age understand that Time, Life & especially Children have made us all equal. There is no person better than the other, we are just a bunch of moms, dads, brothers & sisters who want nothing more than to see old friends, tell a few stories & be in each others company again.
If its about not being rich or famous (like we all thought we'd be), please put that concern out of your mind...
No person is ever rich enough to go without a boss, we all "work" for someone or something! Some of us work for an employer or a company, some of us work for a single customer or a group, but we all work! Even Bill Gates has to answer to his wife... And I'm pretty positive everyone works for either their children (futures) or the bank (mortgage) or the government (taxes) at some level. Some of us "lucky ones" get to work for all three of the aforementioned groups at the same time (did that sound sarcastic)!
We have all lived life now, we've won & lost, tried & failed, been a surprise & disappointment to others, had people love us, hate us, loved others, hated others, experienced the gift of birth & felt the pain of losing someone close to us. We've all felt happiness, joy, contentment, pain, remorse & regret throughout our lives.
The point is, there is no rich or successful in the eyes of a reunion... We lived through 25 years since high school & 40+ years of life, that is reason enough to celebrate together!
And as for fame... Everyone at this reunion will be famous, especially to me! In fact, if you think about it, other than to your family, I bet you won't find any other group of people who think you are more famous than the people at our class reunion! Why do you think we take so many damn pictures?
Last & final plea (I wax poetic)...
As Emma Lazarus wrote (and it says on America's Statue of Liberty)...
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, your diaper changing, garbage taking out, mortgage & tax payers... Send these, the class of 88'ers, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp & I'll buy them a drink, tell them a story of Keokuk in the 80's & we will celebrate together!"
(I can't believe I just invoked patriotism to get people to come to our reunion... I'm relentless! Oh & you might notice I paraphrased a touch on that previous quote... Ha!)
If you need just one last reason to come to the reunion, please think about the 3 long lost friends of mine that I mentioned...
Remember, you may be a person who someone thinks of & needs to thank... Or you may see a person you need to hug & say thank you to... Now is our chance!
All my best, see you at the reunion!
Sincerely,
Kyle
Keokuk Son
PS- For those who do choose to judge others, do us all a favor & stay the fuck home!
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