I have been in contact with Ken over the past spring and summer.
He has had a few health problems but was full of life and was planning
to send his Seeburg L to me for restoration.  In fact I was setting
the date for his visit when I heard the very sad news of his passing
from his partner, John.

I have known Ken since 1973.  I often visited his hotel-saloon called
"The Schooner Inn" at St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, where he had a dozen
or so mechanical music machines scattered all around the saloon, and
all playing on coin.  Ken took me under his wing and taught me the
basics of restoration.

After the hotel closed Ken came to work with me in my new company called
"The Great Canadian Nickelodeon Co. Ltd." in London, Ontario, for several
years before heading back into the "food & beverage" business (as he
called it) with a wonderfully restored bed and breakfast mansion at
Stratford, Ontario, and yes, the main attraction (besides Ken :-))
was his collection of mechanical music instruments.

Ken was a genuine man from the past; he lived the ragtime and jazz era
of the 1920s and nothing made him happier then to find an old "A" roll
he hadn't heard before and play it on one of the many instruments going
through our shops.

He was a real fun-loving, cigar-smoking gentleman who wouldn't take
any guff from anyone, though the continuous twinkle in his eye soon let
everyone know he was a gentle teddy bear.

We're going to miss ya, old pal.

Ron Schmuck
Ontario, Canada
http://www.nickelodeonco.com/