Appleton High School Class of 1960
Classmates
Jon Keckonen
Comments
So it has been 10 years since the great 50th reunion we had in 2010 (math was one of my favorite classes!). Those of us still around are ten years older (another amazing fact). We all continue to look great (a lie).

What has happened in the past ten years? At this moment I feel like I am 90. In August while riding my Vespa scooter in a round-a-bout in Sheboygan, a kid in a pick-up truck failed to yield the right-of-way and totaled the Vespa, broke my ankle, tore my left meniscus, and pissed me off! The kid was 69. After the ankle operation the healing process has been very slow. Just this week I was fitted with a knee brace to help the healing (?) of the meniscus. It ruined my summer and fall and has not made for a very enjoyable winter so far. The good news is that I was wearing a helmet and am alive with only minor mental deficiencies!
In the 9 1/2 years prior to the accident I had some interesting and enjoyable trips. China in 2010, India in 2011, Africa in 2012, Antarctica and Nepal in 2016, Camino de Santiago (Spain) in 2018, and Germany and Finland in 2019. The Nepal trip was the most challenging hiking/climbing from Lukla at 9,500 ft to Gokyo at 15,700 ft. My 80 year old trekking partner and I were supposed to trek up another 1,800 ft to the altitude of the Everest Base Camp but our trekking leader nixed the trek on the final day. Rather than trekking down to Lukla in four days we opted for a 25 minute helicopter ride!
We still spend much of the summers and falls at our cottage in northern Wisconsin. A couple summers ago we visited with John and Sandy Nussbaum who have a beautiful summer home about five miles from our cottage and Jane Dillon who has a lovely summer place about 15 miles from us.
Ann continues to enjoy good health and was a great care-giver after the accident. We are both leading a group of 34 to Italy and the Passion Play in Oberammergau in June and July. We arrive home on 7/11, the day of the 60th reunion.
Life continues to be good! 1/26/20

I am sure everyone wants to read about the 50 years after graduation so I will keep that below.

Could it really be 50 years? I guess a lot has happened since graduation from AHS. I'm looking forward to sharing memories and learning what classmates are doing these days. My wife, Ann, and I raise our glasses and say, "See you at the reunion!"

Life is good! Retirement is GREAT!! I retired from Wells Fargo in May of 2008 and have not looked back as my wife and I have kept very busy enjoying our cottage between Antigo and Rhinelander, traveling, and staying quite active in Sheboygan. We've led trips to Europe every other year since 1989, our last trip, to Russia, being the best ever. It's a very interesting country with a whole lot to see in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Since photography is still my main hobby, I had a marvelous time snapping 1,000+ photos during the two week trip. In March I'll be in China for 12 days and in May we'll be back in Germany to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a high school student exchange program between Sheboygan and our Sister City, Esslingen, Germany. It's a small world! Barb Thielman White and her husband, Chuck, go to Esslingen frequently where Chuck teaches for several weeks in one of the technical schools. That I learned at the 40th reunion.

At the cottage, we both have kayaks and thoroughly enjoy paddling around the lake in early morning and at about sunset when the lake is usually very calm. I should have bought a kayak 20 years ago!

I still play tennis once a week (except in the summer!) and have recently gotten hooked on various types of exercise (yoga, pilates, aerobic exercise, etc.). You fellow old f___s should read "Younger Next Year." It's a great book and was the motivation behind all my exercise. My goal is to be on the cover of Mens Health magazine when I'm 70! Lots of luck, Jon!

Although we do head south for a week or so every year, we're not like those wimps who either move there permanently or stay there for most of the winter. We love to see that white stuff fall from the sky and, with a little help, my snowblower happily takes care of the driveway. Having originally been from the UP, perhaps you can understand my strange behavior. Yah hey!

We've enjoyed our 38 years in Sheboygan and, I think, have given back to the community a fair amount of volunteer time. Right now the Sheboygan Symphony and Maywood Environmental Park are taking up most of my "free" time. This July I'll be stepping down from both positions and might be able to spend a little more time with my camera! From now on a polite "No" will be heard far more often than it's been heard in the past!

Oh yah! We have a son and grandson in Minneapolis and a daughter, grandson and granddaughter in Fond du Lac. Both locations are close enough for an appropriate amount of grandparenting.

So what did you expect!? If I'm crazy enough to spend the t
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