To the editor,
I just wanted to take the time to thank you for creating The Kewanee Voice.
I was born and raised in Kewanee, as was my dad, the late Don E. Martin, and graduated from WHS in 1969. The house I grew up in was located where the AmericInn is now located. After graduation I attended the U. of I. and graduated with a B.S. in education, but flying had always been my dream.
I started flying at the Kewanee Municipal Airport, taking lessons from the late Marlee Anderson, who managed the FBO at that time. I obtained my commercial license with an instrument rating while at the U. of I. and entered the Navy as a an aviation student after college, where I served for a career. After retiring, I was hired at Southwest Airlines as a pilot and had a second career, retiring at the age of 65 in 2016.
Obviously, my career choices kept me away from Kewanee all that time, but I always enjoyed coming back to visit family and friends, and I kept up with what was happening by visiting the online edition of the Star Courier on a daily basis. Dave Clarke, who I knew in high school, wrote some of the most interesting articles that I always sought out to read, about the history of Kewanee. It saddened me to watch the demise of the newspaper, its lack of local news, and the eventual sale to the USA Today conglomeration.
I just discovered the Kewanee Voice and it has become my go-to source for news from the Kewanee area. Again, my sincere thanks for founding and contributing to the site. It has become my new daily source for Kewanee news. Well done! Keep up the great work!
Kevin O. Martin
Midlothian, TX
