Special Tributes

Recognizing Ken Calkins 
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Kenneth Wayne “Ken” Calkins, Founder of the Calkins Family Association, Inc.

When Kenneth Wayne “Ken” Calkins closed his eyes for the last time in April 2024 at the age of 97, he left behind not just a family, but a living legacy. His life was a tapestry of service, scholarship, curiosity, and a love of heritage that shaped everyone who knew him—and helped give the wider Calkins family a story of its own.

Roots in Resilience
Ken was born on September 16, 1926, on a farm in Evans, Colorado, to Wesley Calkins and Mina Olive Drake. His childhood was shaped by the Great Depression, when his family lost the farm and moved to Loveland, Colorado. Out of hardship, Ken learned resilience—a quality that defined him for the rest of his life. In Loveland, he grew up among friends and neighbors, attended local schools, and became a proud member of the 1942 Loveland High School State Football Championship team. That victory, etched into the town’s history, revealed a determination and spirit that carried Ken far beyond the football field.

 Answering the Call of Duty In 1944, as the world was engulfed in war, Ken graduated from high school and immediately answered the call to serve. On June 6—D-Day—he boarded a troop train for basic training with the Army Air Corps. Though he dreamed of piloting planes, Ken instead trained as a mechanic and spent his service years working on B-25 Mitchell bombers at a California base. He would later joke that his service was “undistinguished” because he never deployed overseas, but those who knew him understood that his willingness to serve spoke volumes about his quiet patriotism. Like so many of his generation, Ken embodied the steadfast commitment that earned them the name “The Greatest Generation.”

A Career Built on Knowledge After the war, Ken pursued higher education at the University of Colorado, where he earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. This degree launched a career that took him into the petroleum fields of Oklahoma and Texas, before leading him back to Colorado for a distinguished 35-year tenure at Rocky Flats. In his professional life, Ken was respected for his intelligence, integrity, and ability to solve complex problems—qualities that mirrored the steadiness he carried in all areas of his life.

A Lifelong Love Story In 1950, Ken married the love of his life, Barbara Uhrich. Their marriage lasted nearly 74 years and stood as a testament to devotion and shared purpose. Together they raised their daughter, Dana, and later welcomed son-in-law Phil, along with beloved granddaughters Alicia and Zuri. Ken was a family man at his core—his joy was found in gatherings, conversations, and the everyday moments that stitched together a life well lived.

The Historian of the Family If there was one passion that defined Ken outside of work and family, it was his love of genealogy and history. In 1993, he helped organize a gathering of 19 cousins in Eagle, Wisconsin, an event that became the founding of the Calkins Family Association (CFA). From that moment forward, Ken became the Association’s heart and voice. He encouraged others to explore their ancestry, provided guidance to anyone searching for a name or date, and tirelessly documented family lines.His landmark book, Calkins Family in America (2000), stands as one of his greatest contributions. This publication became an essential resource for descendants of Hugh Calkins, ensuring that stories of early settlers and generations that followed would not be lost to time. Ken’s own line of descent, which he often recited with pride, was: Hugh, David, Joseph, David, Abel, Dudley, Willie, Wesley C., Kenneth Wayne. He also reminded CFA members that the Association’s growing library was “an underused resource”—a gentle encouragement to embrace the treasures he had worked so hard to preserve.

A Man of the Land Ken’s love of heritage was rivaled only by his love for Colorado’s landscape. He was an avid outdoorsman, fascinated by geography, and famous among friends and family for quizzing them about mountain peaks, rivers, and ranges. He could rattle off the elevation of Longs Peak without hesitation and delighted in sharing his curiosity about the natural world.

A Legacy That Endures Ken’s passing marked the end of a remarkable life, but his legacy continues to shape the present. The Calkins Family Association exists because of his vision—a belief that family history matters, not just as names in a book, but as stories to inspire future generations. Every reunion, every ancestor rediscovered, every child learning about their roots carries forward Ken’s dream.He was a man of quiet humor, steady strength, and unshakable kindness. To his family, he was a husband, father, and grandfather. To his community, he was a friend and mentor. And to the wider Calkins family, he was the founder of something enduring—an organization that will outlive him, just as he intended. Ken’s story is more than a tribute. It is a reminder: family history is not only worth knowing—it is worth celebrating.