(right) in April, 1991 at First Plymouth UCC in Pilgrim Hall I sponsored a poetry reading by world-famous Irish poet Desmond Egan. For many years Des gave poetry "recitals" at Doane College and he and his wife host the yearly Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival in Ireland in the summertime.
(below) in 1997 acclaimed Welsh harper Robin Hue Bowen appeared in concert in Lincoln and the Keelans were honored to be the "opening act" for the St. Francis Chapel event. He has many compact discs available worldwide.
(right) Christmas concert, 2004, Trinity UMC. The last time all the Keelans worked together in concert. Maggie now resides in Seattle, WA and Sean in Green Bay, WI.
(below) the first "A Mother's Day Bouquet of Song" concert, in May, 1998, in St. Francis Chapel. In addition to the Keelans are Jim Kula, Jack Cole, Helen Pridmore and Betsy Bobenhouse. In May 2011 the twelfth such event was presented at Heritage Presbyterian Church.
(right) Backstage at the 2003 Mayor's Arts Awards. Malley was awarded the prestigious Leadership in the Arts Award.
(below) Maggie playing her folk harp for the annual Welsh Hymn Sing. Next to her is famed Welsh tenor Geraint Wilkes who soloed and served as songleader. 1999.
(right) Malley shared the stage at Nebraska ETV in August, 1999 with famed Irish concert tenor and recording artist Frank Patterson. Mr. Patterson flew to Lincoln to be the host of an on-air station fundraiser. He died at age 61 in June, 2000 following a six-month bout with cancer.
(below) Malley and friends of noted Nebraska pianist Wilma Sundeen at her CD signing party in October, 2007, at Roper & Sons' Waverly facility. Wilma is a popular soloist on the Keelan concerts.
Sister Peg Keelan-White Peg died in Dec., 2009 of complications from treating acute leukemia after defeating breast cancer four years earlier. She was a career teacher at York High School of special needs students and after her initial illness she became an ardent activist of breast cancer support groups, helping many people.
Peg was a Christ-loving person who brought kindness, understanding, joy and cheer to all around her, be they family, friends, students or strangers. Her laughter was infectious! We all miss her very much and always will.
(below) Malley and Kelly (Colette) on their wedding day, May 1, 1977, with pastor Duane Hutchinson. Univ. of NE-Lincoln UMC chapel on campus. Duane later retired from the ministry and became a well-known Nebraska story teller, traveling around the Midwest with his stories and books. He died in 2007. His wife, Marilyn, a former Nebraska state attorney for several decades, remains one of the closest friends of Malley and Kelly to this day.
(right) This is a "classic" department store professional Christmas photo from probably about 1952 or 1953. It shows three cousins, Bill Kaiser, Sid Keelan and Malley Keelan sitting on Santa's lap. This photo has taken on local fame as it was recently published in the best-selling book of Lincoln, NE childhood nostalgia "When I Was a Kid," by Mary Jane Nielsen and Jonathon Roth.
(below) Malley with cousins Sid Keelan and Bill Kaiser at a booksigning for "When I Was a Kid" on Feb. 28, 2010. All three signed the above Santa photo from the 1950s and Malley signed his article about the first Pinewood Bowl stage pre-1976.
Most-recent photo of our entire family taken Dec. 28, 2009, at Wilderness Ridge Lodge in Lincoln during Maggie's wedding dinner. Maggie and husband Tim Gault were married in June 2009 in Seattle, WA. They are expecting a son in mid-Sept., 2012. Our first grandchild!