Bob Keune (1918-2015) died Sept. 8. He was part of the group of mostly Midwestern (indeed, mostly Milwaukee or Chicago) area model railroaders who agreed with Al Kalmbach that there needed to be a national organization of model railroaders to encourage standards so that commercial products could be practical and marketable and so that modelers could enjoy seeing their equipment (nearly all scratchbuilt in 1935) on any layout that was the same gauge and scale. Bob had some fascinating old home movies of rail fan trips back then and when he'd show them at our NMRA divisional meets he'd call out -- "there's Bill Walthers" and "there's Al Kalmbach."
His obituary says he was the last surviving Charter member of the NMRA in 1935, and I am not aware of another one. Bob was a true living link with the earliest days of our hobby and those of us in the Milwaukee area were privileged to know or at least talk to him.
During the 2010 National Convention of the NMRA here in Milwaukee Bob was rightfully honored as the NMRA celebrated its 75th year. But more interestingly, on Saturday before the convention, the day before it opened, there was Bob at the registration area helping the other volunteers stuff the bags for convention goers with materials. Interesting to think that some guys (and ladies) who attended that convention received their registration materials in a bag packed by a Charter Member, and never knew it.
Bob was a volunteer for many other projects and causes as well.
Bob kept somewhat interested in modeling until close to the end but he felt that O scale had lost much from its heyday in the early years of the NMRA. An issue of the NMRA magazine about the time of the convention shows him with an O scale NYC Hudson that he built.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jsonline/obituary.aspx?n=robert-david-keune&pid=175818726&fhid=5686
Dave Nelson
Ninety seven is a pretty good age. Just imagine the change he has wittnessed.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
If you ever think you're bing forced to do without, consider those fellows who started the NMRA. First, it was the Depreession, then WWII, then finall prosperity if they sirvued the arly Cold War in Korea, etc. All those cuased infamously spotty market availability for all kinds of stuff, pasrt to RTR, a running joke that sometimes seems to have a life of its own to this day.
They did see it all, DC 6 volts to DCC. From something you had to wire yourself to something you still have to wire yourself, but which has all sorts of amazing devices thatb were science fiction back then. Even I sart feeling a little old thinking that my first real train was a Lionel. Still around, but a vastly differnt world no matter what sort your were in this hobby back then.
I met one of the charter members once years ago and while he'd long been away from the hobby, he was pleased that I happened to know and ask about it. Now they're all gone. Wow Time marches on. They've left a great legacy to the hobby in the organization they founded.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mlehman If you ever think you're bing forced to do without, consider those fellows who started the NMRA. First, it was the Depreession, then WWII, then finall prosperity if they sirvued the arly Cold War in Korea, etc. All those cuased infamously spotty market availability for all kinds of stuff, pasrt to RTR, a running joke that sometimes seems to have a life of its own to this day. They did see it all, DC 6 volts to DCC. From something you had to wire yourself to something you still have to wire yourself, but which has all sorts of amazing devices thatb were science fiction back then. Even I sart feeling a little old thinking that my first real train was a Lionel. Still around, but a vastly differnt world no matter what sort your were in this hobby back then. I met one of the charter members once years ago and while he'd long been away from the hobby, he was pleased that I happened to know and ask about it. Now they're all gone. Wow Time marches on. They've left a great legacy to the hobby in the organization they founded.
Mike, I agree, that's why I have faithfully paid my membership for the last 45 years.
Sad news - time does march on.
But apparantly not very important to most modelers today based on the recent threads about the NMRA.
Maybe I will be lucky enough to live long enough to pay another 20 or 30 years worth.....as part of paying my respects to those founders.
Sheldon