Three generations! (taken in June 2000) |
Introduction
(Click on the images for a better view or for more information)
As noted earlier, I love running. Sue and I bike to and from work whenever possible as a matter of environmental conscience. I enjoy long-distance bike rides but don't do them often. Sue and Niki and I also love walking with our border terrier, Charlie and schnoodle Ellie. Niki and I took piano lessons together for about eight years, but I'm afraid she's a quicker study than I. |
Family history is another passion. I recently developed a CD built around letters from one of my great-great grandfathers written to one of my great-great grandmothers during the Civil War. Thanks to some work by our family friend Skeeter Blake, this information has been published in the Mid-Michigan Genealogical Society Newsletter, 17 (1), pp. 5-23 (2003) but I have not yet gotten around to converting the CD to PowerPoint PDF format. Once that is done I will post it on this site.
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I'm also in the midst of writing a 4-part personal recollection of my grandparents and my relationships with them. Likewise, those stories will be posted here in due time. 1. A 20th Century centenarian: The life and times of Ella Selma Keefer 2. A host, a guest and our lifetime relationship: Another hour with Grandma Havitz Link to Grandma Havitz narrative online (takes 75 minutes to play through -- viewers can start and stop at their discretion) Leisure Sciences preface link (provides academic underpinnings of the Grandma Havitz narrative) 3. My favorite story teller: Remembering Edward John Havitz 4. White store on a purple highway: Hanging out, growing up, and fitting in with Grandpa Keefer |
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| One Hundred Years Running: A History of Cross Country at Michigan State University. I am principal investigator for this on-going project which was initiated in 2007. You can follow progress at this link. |
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My father Ed got me interested in social
justice issues. Our current involvement is primarily with Habitat
for Humanity. The large group picture was taken in July 2000 at
a build I organized in honour of Dad's longterm commitment to social
justice and to Habitat. The work crew comprised of Dad's family and
friends raised $60,000 then travelled from the US to Canada and did
much of the work constructing homes for two Habitat partner families
during a 9-day blitz. It was one of the most enjoyable and meaningful
family vacations most of us have ever had! 2004 United Church Project -- under construction 2003 Jimmy Carter Work Project 2000 Ed Havitz Houses Project -- under construction 1992 to 2002 Habitat Projects |
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Our Southampton cottage
includes an introduction to Southampton and pre-build of our retirement
cottage. Left: Ellie and Charlie in 2006. Right: Niki and Charlie in 2000. |
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I really enjoy keeping in touch with friends
and colleagues from various aspects of my life. Three especially
important groups are my Waverly (Lansing, MI) high school cross
country buddies, my FarmHouse Fraternity brothers from Michigan
State, and my Texas A&M graduate school colleagues. The cross
country guys get together for a game of golf every five years or
so. My fraternity brothers convene every other year for a summer picnic
with our families. Some of us also attend MSU football games together.
The Aggie network remains strong in part through our annual participation
in the Francis Hall Bowl Pool wherein we lampoon each other and make
fools of ourselves trying to pick the winners of college bowl games!
You'll need a password to access that material, however. Francis Enquirer 2011 Francis Enquirer 2012 |
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history series featuring FarmHouse Fraternity at Michigan State
University. I was fortunate to be initiated into that organization
during my sophomore year at MSU in 1977. It played a profound role
in both my academic and social development. We are a close-knit community
and many of my life-long best friends are members of this group. I
have served as alumni news coordinator for the Michigan State Chapter
since the early 1990s. My job involves collecting tidbits about our 1000
or so initiates and forwarding them to the active chapter for inclusion
in their twice-annual newsletter, the Spartan Scribe . This
office has allowed me a glimpse at an incredibly diverse group of men
from a different perspective than most. I believe that it is a story worth
telling. I had a lot of fun working on this project during my spare time
in 2001 and 2002 and providing periodic updates since that time. In 2001 I was asked to summarize the history of the Fraternity at our 65th Anniversary Celebration. In an attempt to make the history “come alive” I included several hundred photos to supplement my narrative. People seemed to like the presentation and several requested copies. In 2002 and 2003 I refined the presentation and converted it to Power Point for inclusion on the Chapter’s website. The history starts by exploring the origins of the university (the State Agricultural College, later Michigan Agricultural College, then Michigan State College and finally Michigan State University), continues on to discuss the founding of FarmHouse Fraternity at the University of Missouri, and then traces MSU Chapter history on a decade by decade basis. If you have time, I suggest starting with Part One (19th Century Roots) and working your way to the present! |
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FarmHouse History: Part One (19th Century Roots) 1855-1900 |
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CMOC
Last updated: 8 August 2011