There have been a lot of threads here that point the spotlight on many of our Members. Almost every Forum has been hosting interviews with particular Members selected for one reason or another and each has been a joy to read. I rarely miss these special posts because there is personality, comedy and most of the time valuable information and expertise that is shared. I would like to take the time to point the spotlight on my friend Ken Salisbury, If you would allow me just a few moments or your time and bare with my rambling thoughts I think there is value in my story for everyone.
Our Super Moderator as Ken is often called has been a Member of SawMill Creek since the first hour. Ken was the 19th Member to register here and our very first Moderator. We have never had any Member so loyal or so willing to give of their time and energy. Ken and I have probably spent a couple hundred hours on the phone discussing everything from moderation to mentoring and Ken jumped like a lightening bolt to help us get the Freedom Pens Project on its feet. Never shy about volunteering Mr Salisbury has been a huge part of every aspect of our Community and never asked anything in return for his efforts, he has always been ready to serve our Community.
A large percentage of you may know that Ken has recently battled cancer for the third time and even more recently had to deal with a heart problem. Ken's a real fighter and an inspiration to most but life threatening health issues will always take their toll. No matter how tough we are the possibility of having another battle to wage would crush the average person yet Ken has battled back many times and kept his spirits high. Ken is a tough guy with a soft heart, for decades he volunteered as a Football Coach in his adopted home town of Huntsville Alabama. His work with children most assuredly made a difference in many young people's lives. You may have caught me calling him Coach a time or two here, a small token of respect for someone who I know loves children and cares enough to give them his time.
Also known as "The Old Rebel" Ken is the guy who taught me to turn pens, something I knew very little about when we started the Freedom Pens Project. Our first meeting face to face was at the Five Barns Picnic about three years ago. When I arrived Ken was preparing to do his pen turning demonstration. Aaron Koehl and I watched Ken turn pens and share his personal tricks and tips, in fact we videotaped Kens's demonstration and I have watched it many times. Clearly the life of the party there is rarely an event that Ken has participated that he hasn't made a lasting impression on everyone who attended. If you haven't had the pleasue of his company and you ever have the opportunity by all means get to know this old Korean War Veteran and retired IBM Marketing Executive, he has a lifetime of stories to tell.
Over the last few months there have been Members here who for one reason or another locked horns with Ken, many disagreed with a decision he made or felt he was too hasty in removing a thread. I believe that for the most part Ken made the right decisions and acted in the best interest of our Community. At the time Ken was also battling behind the scenes via email and Private Messages with a few whos only interest was to disrupt our Forums. Ken was having to take some terrible verbal abuse, his patience was thin and I recognised that his tone was sharper than normal, it happens to me from time to time. It is difficult to remain consistant when making decisions here at The Creek, we deal with literally thousands of personalities and without the benefit of an oral tone our words are often misinterpreted. I believe that Ken has made some mistakes but probably less than I have, neither of us has any formal training for the job we are assigned here. Sometimes we just don't think things through at the end of a long day when we visit here and there is so much work to be done. I'm also sure that Ken's health problems have been a burden to bare and have had an influence on his personality lately.
I have stood beside Mr Salisbury as a friend should. Right or wrong I tried to be understanding and supportive when he made mistakes, the same courtesy he has shown me when I let my temper get the best of me here. In fact every one of our Staff have been supportive and most of the thousands of our Members knew that our Super Moderator was doing the very best he could in an extremaly difficult and complex situation. At the height of our problems Ken offered to resign, he felt that leaving was best for our Community but I refused his offer. I suggested that Ken take some time off, go fishing and let the rest of us deal with the problems at hand. Even in good health the load of Moderating one of the largest Woodworking Forums on the Net is a massive task that Ken has done alone until recent weeks. 257,016 posts and counting, I'm glad he now has some help and sorry we were so late offering assistance.
There have been times recently when our Friendly Moderator hasn't been friendly to a select few and I'm sure he would be the first to admit his errors. This has also been a time when we owed him compassion, understnading and pounds of friendship he has well earned and paid forward. I can't imagine The Creek without Mr Salisbury and i willl always be greatfull for his contributions here. I sincerly hope that every Member will help us lighten his load a bit in the coming months as he heals. There is a big difference between being out of the hospital and out of the woods.
This is our time to be the kind to Our Friendly Moderator.
I'll close this thread since I'm sure Ken isn't looking for a pat on the back, if you feel the need to say thanks send him a Private Message.
Thanks Coach
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