Joni Keim
non-fiction author
Fairview
by Randolph Keim
compiled and edited by Joni Keim
70 pages
$5.99
In 1957, Randolph Keim wrote about growing up in Coldwater Canyon, California in the 1920s. This is an account of a special home, an extraordinary father and mother, and the life they lived before, during, and after the Great Depression, until the beginning of the United States' involvement in World War II.“Fairview” was the name Bill and Beatrice Keim, Randolph's parents, gave their home.
Note:
My father, Randolph Keim, at age 37, began writing down some of the colorful stories about his father. His father was ill at the time and, indeed, passed away soon after Dad finished the manuscript.
I watched Dad type away for months on a steel, grey, portable Remington in the family room of our home in San Jose, CA. My mother brought him snacks and beverages, and he would sometimes read to her what he had written. The final manuscript was mimeographed and Dad gave his children and siblings copies.
The idea of putting Dad’s stories into a book, organized, and with pictures came to me a few years back. So, on one of my visits with Dad, I told him of my intention. He approved and gave me permission as well as his blessing. He was flattered that I still had my copy of the old manuscript, and he was happy that the stories meant something to me. Recently, when I held the manuscript in my hands, I knew it was time to start the project.
Why? The stories had not been digitally stored. Whatever copies still existed, that was all there was. Most of our relatives did not have copies. Family history is important to Dad and to me and re-living the stories it is a soulful treasure. The stories are safe now and available for future generations.
--Joni Keim, youngest daughter of Randolph Keim, November 2019