Area resident inspires students with love of history

He is also a historical re-enactor. He is a charter member of The Texas Rifles, a group dedicated to achieving historically accurate Civil War battle re-enactments.

Keahey says his family contends that his interest in history began “at birth.” “My love of history was not something I had to acquire,” he said. “It was always there.”

Born and raised in Virginia, Keahey feels that might have played a role in his early pursuit of historical knowledge.

“Starting in the 1960s, I became a re-enactor,” he said. “I re-enacted Civil War battles, Texas Revolution, American Revolution, and several others.” Having these experiences inspired Keahey to share his knowledge with others, and he began speaking in schools.

Keahey graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in geology. His minor was history. He then attained his master’s degree in 1976 in petrology. In 1979, Keahey moved to Texas, and he has remained ever since.

Although his training and initial career were focused on petroleum geology, his main pastime has always been centered around history. When the oil industry bottomed out, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Keahey’s wife, Joan, encouraged him to pursue his hobby into higher levels.

“She said ‘you have always loved doing this, now is the time,’ he said. It is an avocation that evolved into a vocation.

“I had an epiphany one day when I ordered a fairly simple piece of equipment that cost me a lot of money. When it arrived, I took one look at it and thought ‘I have got to be able to make this.’ Keahey then bought a sewing machine, and since that time has been making historical pieces for himself and others. “I love doing this,” he said. “And it’s a hobby that pays for itself.”

Keahey’s passion for all things historical has taken him many places. Just a few highlights include: participation in a re-enactment of the French and Indian War that took place at Fort Ticonderoga off of Lake Champlain in New York; the Red River Campaign, a nine day re-enactment of a key Civil War battle that stretched for 75 miles of northwest Louisiana; and the biggest re-enactment so far, Gettysburg.

“We acted out parts of the original battle on the day and the time that they took place,” said Keahey. “We had 15,000 Confederate soldiers. It was one of the very few times that we could get a sense of what it was really like.”

His main focus, however, is giving presentations to schools and groups, using historically authentic equipment. Keahey uses his extensive knowledge to inspire and teach students about historical periods ranging from classical Greece to the American frontier.

By the time Keahey arrived in Texas, he had several years experience with speaking at schools. Eventually, he made a connection right here in Kingwood.

About 20 years ago while attending a history festival, Keahey met a group of teachers from Creekwood Middle School.

“They were there with their history club,” he said. “And we had an instant rapport.” 

Ever since that day, Keahey has come to Creekwood about three times a year. He gives presentations to all three grades.

Keahey gives presentations at several dozen different schools every year. He has about 12 different programs, encompassing several time periods in history. For his presentation on the American Revolution, Keahey starts out dressed as a representative of a typical British soldier. He will set the time period, describe what America was like at the time, explain how things worked, and so on. Later he dresses as an American soldier. Students get to see both sides, and they get an accurate, authentic snapshot of the historical period.

Keahey’s love for his work is reflected in the awards and accolades he has earned through the years. He is a recipient of the Jefferson Davis Award, given by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. His evaluation forms for his presentations are always off the charts with positive comments. However, one of his proudest moments was based on a comment he received one day after giving a presentation on Ancient Rome to elementary students.

“I had just finished my presentation, and was packing up when a woman approached me,” he said. “She asked, ‘What’s going on here?’ So I told her about my presentation. She said ‘I’m the librarian, and the kids all just came into the library and checked out every single book that had anything to do with Ancient Rome.’ That was the biggest compliment I have ever had.”

Working with the students is very fulfilling for Keahey.

“There is no substitute for seeing a student’s eyes light up, and you know you had an impact that day,” he said. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment, a sense of mission, that I can go into a school and create a sense of wonder.”

Check out www.texasrifles.org for more information about historical re-enacting right here in Texas.

Photo By Mary Kelly Bumbaugh