Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Grant Keener's Obit and Memorial Service


I don't know if anyone else is still around who was a member of Playwrights' Platform when Grant Keener was active.  We read several of his plays: I particularly remember the full length portrait of Nora Barnicle, Joyce's wife.  He has attended Platform Summer Festivals off and on until quite recently, when he had to give up his car. 

OBIT:
U. Grant Keener  89, loving father, grandfather and friend of Waban formerly of Cambridge, died on Friday June 6, 2008. He is survived by a sister Marilyn, four children; Robert L. Keener and his wife Betsey of Needham, Jessie Keener of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Matthew S. Keener of Los Angeles, CA and Amelia Pantaze and her husband Adam of Lexington, VA, his six grandchildren: Karina, Sarah, David, Grace, Ana Grace and Myles. Grant was born in Philadelphia, he grew up in Brazil and attended Columbia College. He received a Ph.D. from Columbia and was a professor at Bridgewater State College. During W.W. II, Grant he served with the U.S. Army. A lifelong writer, he was recently working on several plays and a short story. A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday June 11th at 7 PM at his Church, The First Unitarian Society in Newton, 1326 Washington St., Newton. In lieu of flowers, please donate to PEN New England

The Memorial was lovely: his bright and vital family from the 4 corners of the USA, church friends, handfuls of friends from Pen,  his Cambridge Pub Writers' group, 3 of us from the Platform, memories of the Poets' Theatre..... wonderful anecdotes and tributes.  The hastily assembled and rehearsed choir sang some of Grant's favorites -- we was a big choir fan, and would come early and listen to us rehearse. I'm sorry I missed hearing him telling tales of foreign adventure and spying in WWII-- I never dreamed Grant was old enough to have been in WWII: I was in a tennis class with him in the late nineties, when he must have been in his 80s already! 

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1 Comments:

Blogger bria said...

I just googled my favorite professor and your blog came up. Thank you so much for posting his obit.

He was a wonderful teacher and wonderful storyteller.

9:30 PM  

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