Memories

By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal

Thousands of people throughout the area were stunned and saddened Monday to learn about the sudden passing of longtime Muskegon Chronicle photographer Ken Stevens.

A lot of people have happy memories of Ken, and I have a few myself.

I mostly remember him as a huge sports fan who shared my special passion for the Detroit Tigers.

He didn’t love sports in an angry way, because he wasn’t an angry person. He didn’t sit in front of the television screaming and complaining about this move or that trade or how they should fire the coach.

Ken loved sports for the pure joy the games brought him. I recall him being as excited as a high-fiving 12-year-old when his teams won a big game, and equally sad when they lost.

His enthusiasm for sports was infectious. He made everyone around him want to be a Tiger fan, or a Lions fan, or a Central Michigan Chippewa fan.

Yes, Ken was a Chip, through and through, just like thousands of other journalists from throughout the state and beyond.

When I think of Ken as a photojournalist, I picture him shooting high school sporting events. I always thought that was the part of his job he loved the most.

I’ve covered lots of local games and matches with Ken, and he always seemed knowledgeable about, and interested in, what was happening on the field or court. I think he loved high school sports because he loved kids, and enjoyed watching them strive, succeed and grow.

It didn’t matter if it was prep football or basketball – with the big crowds in the stands – or a high school tennis match, with only a few scattered parents watching. Ken took pictures that made all the young athletes look good. And the way he treated the kids left them feeling good about themselves.

Ken was everything a local journalist should be – dedicated, knowledgeable, passionate, and one hell of a skilled photographer. I don’t know how many photography awards he won, but I’m sure there are enough to cover a few walls.

I worked with Ken for 20 years at the Chronicle. I can’t say he was a real close friend, but with Ken you didn’t have to be.

Everyone was his friend. He was always quick with a smile, a handshake, and a kind word or funny story. He was the type of person who instantly brightened up any room – even a stuffy newsroom full of cranky, stressed out reporters and editors on deadline.

I remember a few years back, when my mother died. Ken came to the funeral home to extend his sympathies. He never met my mother, and he didn’t know me very well outside of work. But it didn’t matter. He knew a colleague was hurting and wanted to say how sorry he was.

It meant a great deal to me.

I remember my last day at the Chronicle. A small group of close friends gathered at a bar after work to celebrate with me. Ken showed up too, just because that’s the kind of person he was.

I don’t recall Ken ever uttering a negative phrase about anyone. I doubt very much he had an enemy on the planet. He was a kind person who treated everyone with respect and looked for the best in people.

They say the good die young. Ken Stevens was as good as they come, and he died far too young.

We at Local Sports Journal extend our heartfelt condolences to Ken’s wife, children and the rest of his family. We hope they can take some comfort in knowing that he was a terrific man who touched a lot of lives in a very personal, positive way.

His life was too short, but it was very worthwhile. He will be mourned and missed by more people than he ever would have imagined.

I was a photo intern at the Chronicle in the winter of 2010 but had actually known Ken for several years before that.

Applying for internships was crazy and I sent out so many applications that I never heard anything back from. In my first year of college I applied to the internship at the Chronicle and received a phone call from Ken a couple of weeks later.

I remember sitting in my car in the parking lot of the school where I was going. Ken let me know that I hadn’t made it to the top of his list and that it wasn’t an interview phone call. He was just calling to let me know that he liked some of my photographs, thought I was a good student, and that he would like to see my application again in the future.

I applied the next year, and the phone call I had with Ken a few weeks later was an interview. I remember how nervous I was. Ken had some questions for me about photography and what I had been working on but also just about me, he was mostly curious to know what kind of person I am I think.

I didn’t quite make it that year and received a very nice and formal letter from Ken that I hung on my wall as inspiration next to a few other rejection letters.

I applied again my last year in school, after having gained some other work experience and Ken accepted me as the intern for the fall.

Ken welcomed me to Muskegon, made sure I was settled into the apartment he had arranged for the interns and that I had everything I needed.

Ken was a good mentor to me during that time, he gave me respect and responsibility. He sent me out on several very serious assignments beyond what most interns would do. He let me know when I had done well and certainly when I messed up.

I am so thankful to Ken and the Chronicle staff for the experience I had there.

Ken Stevens has been a reference for me for several years and his name still marks my resume. We’ve lost a good colleague and a good friend.

I will remember Ken fondly forever as a mentor who guided me for several years.

Ken and I got the annual assignment no one in the newsroom wanted — we covered the Black Friday shopping frenzy. For several years, we arrived outside Muskegon’s Best Buy around 3 am to tell the story of eager shoppers as they formed a line that wrapped around the store. They braved the wind, the rain, the cold, and the snow, all in the name of getting a good deal.

The first couple years, I showed up cold, tired, surly, and ready to get it over with. Ken showed up with his signature smile and warm disposition, always ready to tell a story with his camera.

Eventually, I warmed up to the assignment and actually volunteered for it… because I got to spend time with Ken. He had a magnetic personality and a sweet soul. Shine on, my friend. You are loved and dearly missed.

Like many of my fellow CM LIFE and Booth Newspaper colleagues I am mourning the loss of a truly great human being. R.I.P. Ken. You set the standard for humility and graciousness.

I interned 3 times at the Muskegon Chronicle, I think I might hold the record for the most photography internships at the Chronicle. Ken was always gentle, kind, and in a good mood. I always felt that he believed that being a good person was more important than being the best photographer, while he was also a great photographer.

My most distinct memory of Ken is that he would bring in buckets (literally) filled with popcorn everyday. Often more than once per day. So I knew that whenever I came back on a cold miserable winter night there would be popcorn to help perk me up during a late night editing session. It was just one more thing he did to help everyone around him be a little happier.

He also liked to say “shoot pretty” for encouragement before assignments.