Kenneth Ray Palmer
Westbury Rebel Class of 1964 and Father

We are notified today that Ken Palmer has left us, dying this morning November 21, 2011, of cancer. For his family, whom I knew very well from long ago, I offer my condolences.

Ken was a very fine person and friend from my age eleven. We grew up together, playing football in  my front yard and basketball in our  driveway and with our other close friend, Jeff Lee. We were on the same baseball teams from the time we met. He was a fine pitcher and had a tremendous fastball. I caught for him. And then we would switch positions. He was the best catcher, throwing to second base straight as an arrow, and from which I always had to duck.

"Palmer," which is what we always called him,  told me that his most vivid recollections of that period in our lives was of riding his bike back home against the stiff southeast winds. That, aside from his  hard efforts at Westbury High School, is probably how he got so fast.

Ken was one of Westbury's best athletes, playing both offensive and defensive halfback for the Rebels in the 1961-1963 fall seasons. He also was on our track team. And he went on to win awards playing collegiate ball. He was eventually nominated for the All Little Southwest Conference team.

I last saw Ken at the 2006 Westbury reunion in Houston where we talked about the recent loss of his son to cancer. That hurt him deeply. At that get together, the final  thing he said to me about our mutual friend, Jeffo Lee, me and himself was "We were like 'The Three Musketeers'."

Goodbye Ken. Have a safe and pleasant journey. I'm sure I'll see you again, some day.

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