Kevin Keefe in the David P. Morgan Memorial Library, photo by Kathi Kube.
The stories behind his railroad stories, with John B. Corns
Kevin P. Keefe was born in Chicago in 1951 and graduated from Michigan State University’s School of Journalism in 1973. At MSU, he was a key figure in the effort to restore Pere Marquette steam locomotive 1225. He got his first job as a reporter at his hometown Niles (Mich.) Daily Star.
In 1974, Keefe went to work at Kalmbach Publishing Co. as a copy writer, then rejoined the Daily Star in 1976 as city editor before moving to other newspapers in Michigan. He returned to Milwaukee in 1980 to work for The Milwaukee Sentinel. During this period, 1977-1983, Keefe also was managing editor and editor ofPassenger Train Journal.
Keefe left The Sentinel in 1987 to become associate editor of Trains magazine, which he had read since the August 1965 issue. He was named editor of Trains in 1992 and served until 2000, when he became associate publisher and, in 2005, publisher and vice president-editorial for Kalmbach. Keefe has written numerous features for PTJ andTrains, working almost exclusively with photographer John B. Corns.