Archiving Grace's Story one Snapshot at a Time
When we think of attending worship, Coffee Hour, and the like, we don't often think about how these weekly events flash together to tell a much larger story. Without photography to capture those images as they appear, it is easy to forget the many faces, places, and gatherings that have woven together to create this community of faith.
Thankfully we have someone in our midst who knows the value of film and pixel: Kenn JeSchonek. Kenn has not only served in a variety of ways throughout his time at Grace - as a member of the Vestry and Stewardship Task Force, organizer of the Shrove Tuesday Pancake supper, and Service Minister - but around all of that he continues to orbit, camera in hand. Thanks to his diligence, we have the tools we need to share who we are with others in the way only images can.
The next time you see Kenn, camera in hand, please be sure to stop and say hello and thank-you...and maybe pause for a photo of your own.
Name: Kenn JeSchonek Which generation do you belong to? Baby Boomer, 1947 (http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1947.html click this link to see all the things that occurred in 1947, or just change the year in this link to see your special year.) Age you are on the inside: Somewhere between 6 and 16. A child who believes in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the notion that "good wins over evil"....be HAPPY and you're ageless....."don't sweat the small stuff, everything is small stuff." Birth city or where your would say your roots are from: Born in Calexico, California (which is on the border, just north of Mexicali, Baja Mexico), raised in Centerline and Utica, Michigan (just north of Detroit), went back to Holtville, California in the 60's, then moved to Madison in 1968. Member of Grace since: 1978 (where I met/married Gwen)  | |
"Here I am in 1978 interviewing someone for a Corvette magazine. I used to provide articles on Corvette events, racing, and clubs all over the U.S. I produced Corvette calendars and post cards and traveled a lot."
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Early Bird or Night Owl? Night Owl....I'm filling this out and it's past midnight! Favorite childhood memory: Visiting the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station on a grade school field trip just before it was completed. We were able to get very close to the inside of the reactor during its construction. I also enjoyed reading Popular Science magazines as a child - expecting that the future was going to be filled with wonderful inventions. (I'm a little disappointed.) I knew I was an adult when: In 1964 my mother divorced my step-father and we moved from Michigan to California and I had to take care of my younger brother, the household meals/chores, and school. I got a part-time job to help with expenses. Beloved blog, website or TV/radio program: I'm hooked on all these TV programs: CSI, CSI NY, CSI Miami, NCIS, NCIS LA, Hawaii 50. I record them so that I can stop/start to pick up any nuances into "who did it" and "why did that happen" before the end of the program. Favorite book to foist on all of your friends: I was turned on to reading by my 9th grade English teacher in Michigan who read to the class A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and then turned off by my 10th grade English teacher in California that had us read A Tale Of Two Cities (yes, I had to read it again ) and each time "dissect" it chapter by chapter. I enjoyed hearing/reading it the first time, but the second time we were supposed to find all the hidden meanings to things that at that time in my life I just could not. We were sending men in space and landing on the moon while a character in the book was knitting and watching heads being guillotined. Go-to comfort food: Ice cream #1 item on your Bucket List
(Things to do before you "kick the bucket".): To be the President of the United States....ha,ha,ha....I don't have a bucket list. Physical object that represents your life's work or passion: I'm a "Jack in the box"- every time that I "pop up", I'm different. Mainly because I don't like repetition, but lots of things in life are just that. What is your first memory of God? When I was about eight my mother would drop me off at a Baptist church for their church school program. Because we didn't go to church she wanted me to learn about Jesus and the Bible. I attended every week and was awarded an 8 x 10 framed photo of Jesus knocking at the door.  | | The classic image most of us remember from the Sunday School room of our youth. |
What inspires you? Believing in God....that I'm not alone. One thing no one would guess about you: I'm a "time traveler". In my mind I can "see myself" at various locations/time periods in both the past and the future. If I see an article in a magazine, see a movie, hear something on the radio, I can "travel" there in my mind and feel like I'm actually there. The experience stays with me the same as being there would. Why Grace? Weekly communion, the music, the architecture, its history, and its historical value on the Square. It has become my family, my community of friends. - Jody
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