Mike McKenzie:
CLASS OF 1959
Mount Vernon High SchoolClass of 1959
Alexandria, VA
Westmar CollegeClass of 1965
Le mars, IA
Kaiserslautern American High SchoolClass of 1959
Kaiserslautern,
Mike's Story
Have semi-retired on Lummi Island, off the coast of extreme NW Washington, near the Canadian border in the San Juans. Reside there with wife, Laura Bostrom, and our recently rescued cocker spaniel mix, Blue. (Until last year we had four rescued dogs, but each died of aging at 14, 15, 15, and 18.)
Most recent, grand & fulfilling ventures: Grandparenting twins (g/b), now 15 and another grandson, 6. All live in Kansas City area, which I call home because I lived there longer than any place else (20 years).
Since moving here, I've been managing editor of a regional business magazine 7 years; marketing director and co-founder of community event Bellingham SeaFeast every September (year 4 coming up) which drew 12,000 last year; life coach with six individuals, a high school basketball team, and a small business; manage marketing for a chocolatier, a BBQ truck, and an athletic training and performance business; and have held office and led fund-raisers for library, school, Boys & Girls Club, and ferry operations in my community.
Editor of a book by former Royals baseball player Greg Pryor last year. Lost 70 pounds in the last 16 months intentionally (Jan. 19 last year to now, Apr 21 of '19), going to a whole-food approach to eating and cutting out junk, snacking, and sugar, plus working out with a trainer and a strong walking regimen.
Before moving to Lummi Island (where my wife's late parents lived), I served as ass't athletic director, ass't to head football coach, adjunct faculty in sports management graduate program, and volunteer. advisor for school paper at Texas A&M University for five years (2003-'08).
Check out my personal Web site BeOfGoodCheer.com; I no longer update it, and it was just for fun and freedom of expression.
My best friend and life mate, Laura, hails from Washington. We moved from home we love -- 5 acres in woods to four acres in woods on an island, with our "family" Bear the Samoyed, Murdock the border Collie mix, Sullivan Ross (Sully) the purebred Collie, and Hannah the English setter, plus Little Kitty the little kitty and senior pet--all who left us from aging. Steele the Show, our 2nd Arabian horse, lived with us a while in Texas, but did not move with us.
We were married on our small residential island in 100-yr old country church in 1993. Laura has spent some or all of every summer of her life hhere, 55th summer coming up, and I traveled here multiple times a year for 30+ years.
Harking back: after Mt V, wasted a year at a juco in TX where my mother lived, dropped out and cooked hamburgers in a White Tower in D.C. Dad went abroad again (got to MtV the one year because he was at Ft Belvoir), and I wound up w/ relatives who wo...Expand for more
rked at a college in Iowa (Westmar, now closed). Arrived fall '60, graduated Dec '65, theater major, English major, sociology minor, secondary ed minor.
Took off in the middle to U of Malaysia - spent a life-altering 15 months all over SE Asia, Philippines to Vietnam to Thailand, Singapore to Hong Kong, Japan and jungles. Worked on projects with American Embassy, Peace Corps, missionaries, Red Cross, and fellow students who were Chinese, Indian, and Malay. I was the only Anglo and American in the University. We staged Henry Miller's "Death of a Salesman," and played sports.
Chose working at newspapers over teaching. Worked at newspapers, mostly in sports, in Ames IA, Huntsville AL, Atlanta, Tuscaloosa AL, Baton Rouge LA, and Kansas City (interrupted early by 3 yrs in Army during VN era) after college until 1988.
Free-lance thereafter, with Spts Illustrated as main base, plus book writing, Web writing, sports talk radio, and operating a business of public speaking and personal & staff performance coaching--all in Shawnee Mission (KC suburb). To Dallas 1998, to Denver 2001, to College Station '03, all moves to enhance Laura's career pursuits.
26th anniversary of 2nd marriage this summer. Laura finished U of Kansas in journalism '87, A&M w/ EMBA in '05, exec prof in A&M Biz School, and owns business Varsity Pet, LLC. Now telecommutes for McClatchey publications.
Oldest daughter, Kim, 52, grad in music from Washburn U in Topeka, Kan., mother of twins, in business in the KC area and performs with string quartet on the side.
Youngest daughter, Kris-Ann, 50, grad in journalism from U. of Kansas, long career in adv/mkting in mortgage industry, now in Shawnee KS (KC) . Second career: stand-up comedian as graduate of Second City in Detroit, with top gigs so far as a repeat at The Improv in NYC. I live vicariously through her!
I've been very blessed by involvement in amateur and professional athletics my whole career, which afforded global travel and invigorating assignments, including every major event and several Olympics. All-time highlights: following Hank Aaron 2 years to Babe Ruth record..."Miracle on Ice" 1980 USA hockey win over USSR and eventual Olympic gold medal. It's been a joyful ride.
Taught classes as adjunct faculty at U of Alabama, Southern Univ, U of Kansas, Tarkio College, and Texas A&M.
Highlight that was a lowlight: Medal for participation in team (staff) Pulitzer at KC Star & Times, 1981, with only eye-witness media accounts of Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalk collapse that killed over 100 in lobby; my whole family was there, later told our story on "Good Morning America," w/ Joan Lunden.
Any questions? Would love to hear from and about you.
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