FIRST GENERATION

1. Donald Allen Keffer ^{(1)(2) (3)} was born on 20 Jan 1938 in Reading, Pa.

DONALD ALLEN KEFFER

I first met Al (as I call him) in 1993 just prior to his retirement from General Electric where he had worked for over 30 years. I met him at the KP Corral, a country/western dance place - an unlikely place to meet a rocket scientist. It was almost like something out of a sci-fi novel. What I liked about him immediately was his warm friendliness and clear blue eyes. I guessed from the way he combed his hair and the cut of his clothes that he was an orderly (not ordinary) sort of guy and, from the way he danced, just to the right of rigid. As I got to know him, I found Al to be a man of staunch integrity and fierce determination, goal-driven, honest and at ease in almost any social situation. He has a wide variety of interests and experiences and is one of a small group of people who is thoughtful enough to ask other folks what interests them. He is as reliable as April rain and playful as a puppy. He can be patient, loving and generous. He can be impatient and dominant enough to drive a feminist frantic. He can be shy on occasion and confidant in others. He is strong, athletic and smarter than he lets on. He has the courage of his convictions even when they are dead wrong. His bark is worse than his bite. For inside this man lives the heart of a lion and the gentleness of a lamb in wolves clothing.

Upon interviewing his family - his father and children, I was told that
Al was a father with very strong opinions about right and wrong and a person who preferred a very predictable routine around the house. He was involved in the activities of his children consistently and remains a concerned parent even though all three of them are grown now.

His father told me that, as a child, Al "didn't listen." He was very thin (friends called him "Keyhole") and could run like the wind. He had to. The kids in Reading were tough and school and books were not a priority in the neighborhood. Al had to hide any enthusiasm he may have had for learning until he was out of high school. He developed an interest in mathematics and computers and still speaks a binary language I have yet to understand. Al is not a man of many words but he is a man many can admire.