KEVIN KOEHLER

Kevin was around at Magee and Clarke. But honestly, I don't think I had any contact with him until we got into high school.

Scratch that. I had contact with him during the summer of 1983. He and I were on the same little league team together. Jason Anderson was also on that team, as was Chad Bennin, Andy Reinhardt (for one game) and class of 1990's Nick Rogne. Our coach was Conrad Hrdina (a nut). Our team was Sacred Heart Athletic Association.

Anyway, Jason and Kevin were the stars of the team. They could really hit the shit out of a baseball. In fact, halfway through the summer, Jason got kicked off the team because someone complained about his age. Jason was a month or two older than the "legal" age for the league we were in.

I loved baseball. But for whatever reason, that summer, I would freeze up at the plate. I couldn't explain it. I just got scared to swing or something. Well one time I came up, and the bases were loaded. I took a pitch - strike one. Kevin was standing on second base. And he yelled out, "Come on, just swing already!" For whatever reason, that struck a chord in me. The next pitch came and I whacked it into the outfield. Three runs scored, and I cruised into second base with a double - and a new sense of pride. From that point on, I got a hit every single time I came to the plate. That is of course up until the last game, when Chad Daffner and his fricken' curve ball struck me (and everyone else) out.

In high school I had Kevin in a few classes, but not too many. I think Kevin took a lot of shop classes. But I did have him in gym class during my sophomore year. Or was it freshman year? Anyway, one day Kevin shot the basketball from somewhere around half court - and made it. From that moment on, based on that one shot, he earned a reputation of being able to make the ridiculously long shot. So every chance he got, he would launch that ball across the gym. Needless to say, I don't think he ever made another long basket. Finally at some point, the teacher (Mrs. Berg?) told him to knock it off.

I think during our sophomore year, it became known that Kevin had gotten a girl pregnant. The girl's name was Robin. I think she was older than us. But I don't know if she went to our school.

Kevin had a nickname of "whales."

Kevin stuck around through our junior year. After that, I think he simply dropped out. I don't know if I ever ran into him since high school. I don't recall anyway. I do know that he ended up marrying Robin. But they divorced in 2003. Today it looks like Kevin still lives in Two Rivers - in the former home of my friend's aunt and uncle.

UPDATE - 11/13/06 - On Saturday, AUgust 12th, 2006, Kevin Dehne and I took our second trip to Two Rivers. We stopped by to see Kevin. I was familiar with the home, as it had been owned by the aunt and uncle of a friend of mine, back in the 1980's. I was also the paperboy. Kevin was outside, in the garage. The two Kevins joked about the time they had stolen some food off someone's grill. Good stuff! Kevin talked about how he spends time with fellow graduate Dave Hartwig. Perhaps we'll hit Dave on trip #3. Kevin was proud of the fact that his oldest kid was graduating (or just did graduate) from high school. Kevin has another son, who was also hanging around while we were there. Kevin's dog loves to chase a stick. If you don't pick it up and throw it, he'll stare at it forever.