Geneva gave birth to Ken in La Junta, Colo. The family came west
after World War II when Geneva's husband, Fred, got a job here at a
creamery.
"Ken was always
attentive,
always rebellious," she says.
"When the books came out, they were not red-letter days for me,"
Geneva says. "They should have been. But I didn't appreciate all that
he had put into those books.
She loves the
downtown statue of Ken reading to the
kids.
And yet, in a sense, that was about someone else's Ken.
Her Ken is the kid fishing off the stern of the family boat at Odell
Lake. The man who brought her gifts from wherever he was in the
world, her favorite a
turquoise
necklace from Egypt.
photo by Kirk O'Green
"I never gave him
credit for all he
accomplished," she says,
Not that it's ever too late to show your pride. The other day, when a
doctor made reference to her turquoise necklace, she didn't hesitate
with her response. "My son, Ken Kesey, brought this for me from
Egypt."
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
Here's the deal:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2011
Leaving for Ohio on Sunday and leaving behind a big mess.