As part of this series, I conduct interviews with fascinating people who have resided all over the country and the globe. These occasional interviews appear as podcast episodes (available through your browser or on various podcast apps) and while the starting place for these interviews are questions about physical “homes”, we get to talk about all sorts of other things that are (or are not) “home” in their lives.
Welcome to another podcast interview, this time with my illustrious father-in-law, Andrew “Andy” Keller. Andy is a loving father, grandfather, and all-around decent human, and has one of the biggest hearts I know. Not only that, but he has gotten into some pretty fascinating (mis)adventures in life, and has lived to tell us all about it!
He spent his childhood growing up in the Bronx in a strict Catholic family, the son of Eastern European immigrants. As a precocious kid (the fourth out of five) growing up in the Big Apple around college students and professors at NYU, Andy inserted himself into neighborhood life, and in turn, they looked out for the scrawny boy who sometimes (only sometimes!) sought out a little bit of trouble!
I won’t spoil some of the surprises he talks about here, but we set the record straight about winter in Arizona (this podcast was recorded in February 2023), touch on his days as a “Groovy Christian”, hear about going missing from Boy Scout camp in order to hitchhike to A Big Concert, and maybe get a little teary-eyed at the end.
I hope you enjoy, and please go ask your own in-laws (if you’ve got them) to tell you their stories. I guarantee you’ll come away with a richer understanding of family, love, and what home means to all of you.
Reflection Questions:
Where is a better place to grow up: the big city or the wide open country? Why?
What is a formative decision you made as a young person and how has it had an impact on your life? (Bonus points if it was a little bit dangerous)!
Images: 2255 Loring Place, the Bronx. (Plus some cool poses later in life).
Andy