Kens

15 Fortune 500 Business Leaders Named Ken

October 15, 2015 by Kenney Myers

Barbie’s plastic playboy isn’t the only Ken that’s been successful in the business world (man I hated that reference to being called a Ken doll when I was growing up). In fact, one thing that many of the major players in Fortune 500 companies have in common is the name “Ken.” These 15 Kens have made it to the top of their respective games, leaving their plastic friend in the dust.

Kenneth I. Chenault – This man is on the top of the list because he was named 2012’s businessperson of the year. Chenault is the CEO and Chairman of American Express, which is ranked as number 95 on the Fortune 500 list for 2012. He has been the CEO and Chairman since 2001, and has pulled the major credit card company through a difficult economic time. Another boasting point for Chenault is that he was the first African American to be named CEO of a Fortune 500 firm.
Kenneth C. Frazier – This Ken is the CEO of Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical company, which was ranked number 57 out of 500 in 2012. Both he and Chenault attended Harvard University. Along with being a CEO, Frazier is also a lawyer. He was hired at Merck in 1992 and became CEO in 2011. Merck & Co. is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Ken C. Hicks – Hicks is the CEO of Foot Locker. They are ranked at 435 in 2012 for the Fortune 500 list. Aside from his current position at Foot Locker, he was also the President for JCPenney and Payless Shoe Source, Inc. He also held a position as Vice President of the Home Shopping Network at one point.
Kenneth T. Lamneck – As CEO of Insight Enterprises, Lamneck has proven his ability to keep a business strong. The use of technology is widespread and becoming an everyday necessity for people around the world, and Insight Enterprises is a leader in those technological advances.
Kenneth S. Adams, Jr. – Also known as “Bud” Adams, this Ken is known best for owning the Tennessee Titans’ National Football League franchise. But that’s not what makes him a leader on the Fortune 500 list. For that level of prestige, he founded and is now the Chairman of the Board for Adams Resources & Energy, Inc.
Kenneth C. Dahlberg – In 2008, Dahlberg was the Chairman, CEO and President of SAIC, which is the Science Applications International Corporation. He retired in June of 2010, but not before making his mark as a business leader during his tenure at SAIC.
Kenneth D. Lewis – The Bank of America CEO was ranked at the 9^th slot for the Fortune 500 list in 2008. For eight years, until 2009, Lewis served Bank of America as CEO. During his time as CEO, he improved service throughout the southern portion of the country.
Kendall J. Powell – The leader of one of the largest food companies in the world, Powell was ranked at 214 on the Fortune 500 list in 2008 as the CEO of General Mills. He worked his way up in the ranks starting in 1979.
Kenneth T. Derr – Derr served as CEO of Chevron in the late 1990s. Chevron is an international oil company and a major player in the fuel industry. He was on the Fortune 500 list in 1997.
Kenneth L. Lay – This Ken was very well known as the CEO of Enron. In 2000, Enron was ranked #7 on the Fortune 500 list. He resigned as CEO at the beginning of 2002. However, during his time at Enron, he was accused of fraud and insider trading in a widely-publicized scandal.
Ken J. Warren – While he is not technically a Fortune 500 leader himself, as an attorney he has represented several Fortune 500 companies. His experiences with the renowned companies that have made it to the list certainly put him in the running to be considered a Fortune 500 leader.
Kenneth J. Kay – Kenneth Kay is the vice president and chief financial officer for Las Vegas Sands Corp. His leadership skills have led him to the career boon of managing all financial aspects of the lucrative company.
Kenneth A. Kaufman – While he was not the CEO of a Fortune 500 firm, he was the top producing manager for Aribex, Inc. and has CEO experience, along with several other titles that point toward a proven leadership ability.
Kenneth Cole – Kenneth Cole brought his clothing design company to the top of the charts. He was known for his marketing skills for a clothing and shoe store that eventually branched out to include top-selling fragrances for both men and women.
Ken Ballou – Ballou was a co-founder of NewEnding, which rose to Fortune 500 status. Ballou also worked for another Fortune 500 company as a vice president in various departments of the iDatix software company

10 Kens Who Have Held Public Office

October 6, 2015 by Kenney Myers

Continuing our series of Kens, we turn our attention to public office. NOTE: this is not specific to the U.S. and is just a sampling as you might imagine, there are tons of Kens that have been voted into various public positions. I doubt you will ever see me attempt to run for an office (even locally in the Houston area), but never say never… In the meantime, here are a few of the men named Ken you may have voted for:

Ken Dryden -Not only is Ken Dryden a proud member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, a lawyer, author and businessman, but he is also an officer of the Order of Canada and held a seat as a Liberal Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. One of only two players to have his number retired by Cornell’s hockey team, Dryden earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from the prestigious school.
Kenneth MacAlpin -The king of the Picts and perhaps the first king of Scots, Kenneth MacAlpin established a line of kings that ruled over Scotland for most of the medieval period. Fact and myth surrounding the infamous king have blended such over the centuries that it can be difficult to determine how much of his legacy is deserved.
Kenneth Baker -Kenneth Wildfred Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group and a former Conservative MP from Newport, Monmouthshire. He also acted as Minister for Information Technology, Secretary of State for the Environment and Secretary of State for Education.
Ken Morrish -Serving as councilor, deputy Metro Toronto Chair and Mayor of Scarborough, Ken Morrish was a descendant of the original pioneer settlers in Scarborough, Ontario. Regarded as a legend in the area, Mr. Morrish passed away due to complications from a stroke in 2006.
Ken Bennett -A prominent Arizona Republican, Ken Bennett has served as president of the Arizona Senate and assumed office as the Secretary of State in Arizona in 2009. Bennett formed an exploratory committee to run for Governor of Arizona in May of 2012 and became acting governor in December of 2012 when the current governor embarked upon an unannounced trip to Afghanistan.
Ken Clarke -One of the most well-known politicians in Britain, Ken Clarke has served as a Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, a Minister without Portfolio, in the Cabinet as Education Secretary, Health Secretary, Justice Secretary, home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Ken Livingstone -A British Labour Party politician, Ken Livingstone was the first elected Mayor of London when the office was created in 2000. He’s also served as the MP for Brent East and is a democratic socialist.
Ken Salazar -The current United States Secretary of the Interior under President Barack Obama’s administration, Ken Salazar was also a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009 and the former Attorney General of Colorado.
Kenneth Keating -Serving as a United States Representative, a United States Senator from New York, an appellate judge and a diplomat representing the United States as ambassador to both India and Israel, Ken Keating was a moderate New York Republican who refused to endorse his party’s 1964 presidential nominee, Senator Barry Goldwater, who was widely regarded as too extreme by New Yorkers.
Ken Blackwell -A political activist who has served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio and the Ohio Secretary of State, John Kenneth “Ken” Blackwell was the first African-American to be a candidate for governor of a major political party in the state of Ohio.

Whether it’s a Welsh name meaning “clear water,” an English one meaning “handsome” or a Japanese name that carries “royal obligation,” there’s no doubting that the name Ken and all of its variants is a common one among leaders from various walks of life. These Kens are all part of a great tradition of leadership and public service.

10 Kens That Hold a Guinness Book of World Records Title

October 1, 2015 by Kenney Myers

The Guinness Book of World Records is renowned across the globe for measuring, adjudicating and compiling extraordinary feats by ordinary people. People are not the only ones who can hold a record – places, inanimate objects, animals and insects have been record holders, too! The ten entries in this list, however, are all people named Ken who set or helped set records that made their way into the famous big book.

Ken Darby Singers – The popular Christmas song “White Christmas,” by Bing Crosby, holds the Guinness World Record for most ever single sales. Crosby recorded the track with the Ken Darby Singers, who also deserve acknowledgment for the song’s success. White Christmas has sold over 50 million copies worldwide, with no sign of sales ever slowing down.
Most Albino Siblings – One of four U.S. brothers who hold the record for most albino siblings, Kenneth Sesler passed away in February of 1999. In all, there were 8 children in the Sesler family, however, only the four eldest carried the albino gene. Although another family, the Gaulins, have matched the Sesler’s record, no other family has managed to topple it.
Kenneth Griffin – Husband and wife Anne and Kenneth Griffin purchased the “most expensive painting by a living artist.” The couple spent a whopping $80 million dollars on the painting entitled “False Start” by Jasper Johns in 2006. Although the Guinness World Record is actually held by Johns, it would not have been possible without the Griffins having made the extravagant purchase.
Most Expensive Magic Show – At an astounding cost of over $28 million, “Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage” holds the record for most expensive magic show. Kenneth Feld & Co produced the Las Vegas show, which starred world famous magicians, Siegfried Fishbacher and Roy Horn from Germany. The show generated around $44.6 million per year in ticket sales, which more than made up for the huge production costs.
The Largest Collection of Toasters – This eponymous award is held by Kenneth Huggins of Columbia, South Carolina, who owns 1,284 toasters. Huggins was an enthusiastic collector of phonographs, radios and automobiles before he started his unusual toaster collection. Dr. Huggins is not alone in his love of toasters, as he is also a member of the Toaster Collectors Association, which was formed in 1999.
Highest score on Beyond Good & Evil – With a grand score of 7,818,090 points, Kenneth Ray Craig Jr. is the master of Ubisoft’s popular game, Beyond Good & Evil. As of 2009, Craig was still the official high scorer, ranked against players from all over the world. Kenneth is also known by his handle “maken90,” so if you are looking for serious gaming challenge, why not try to beat his score?
First Use of the F-Word on TV – It is hard to believe that the first ever F-bomb was dropped on U.K. TV way back in 1965. Kenneth Tynan has the distinction of holding this dubious honor, which is due to his use of the F-word on a show entitled BBC3. Unfortunately for Tynan, the incident drew a close to his rather short television career, due to public outrage over “morals and decency.”
First Successful Craniopagus Separation – This surgery marked the first time that Siamese twins, connected at the head, were successful separated. The twins, Vilija and Vatalija Tamulevicius, where separated by a Russian doctor, Alexander Konovalov; however, their bodies did not take to the artificial skulls used in the procedure. They were subsequently flown to the U.S., where Dr. Kenneth E. Salyer performed successful skull reconstruction surgery on the girls.
Fastest Eater – Dr. Kenneth Catania is responsible for the research that discovered the fastest eating mammal, at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee. The award is based on the time it takes between identifying a food source, capturing and eating it, and then moving onto a new search. However, the actual winner of the award, with a time of 230 milliseconds, is the Star-Nosed Mole, a semi-aquatic animal that is indigenous to North America.
First Judicial Single Drug Execution – This is one Guinness world record that no one wanted to hold. Kenneth Biros was the first convicted prisoner to face death by execution, using a single large injection of anesthetic. Biros was convicted for the murder of a 22-year old woman in 1991. The execution took place in Ohio, U.S.A, on December 8, 2009 at 11:00 AM. Biros had fought for clemency, arguing that lethal injection was a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

10 Kens Famous for Making News Headlines

September 29, 2015 by Kenney Myers

Your 15 minutes of fame have never been easier to achieve these days. YouTube alone has made overnight stars out of virtual unknowns, including pop idol Justin Bieber. Canadian teenagers with dubious fashion sense aren’t the only ones making the news these days, though. The 10 Kens on this list have also managed to find their own claims to fame, and have graced the headlines at some point or another.
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Ken Jones – He reported on the Watts riots and the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, but Ken Jones made his own headlines, too. For his news documentary The High Cost of Health Care May Be Hazardous To Your Health, Ken was honored with an Emmy Award in 1967. However, in a cruel twist of fate, Jones would eventually go on to battle bladder cancer in 1992 – he died a year later from the disease, leaving behind his wife Regina, four sons and a daughter.
Ken Bates – Former chairman and director of Leeds United FC soccer team, Ken Bates, found himself in hot water over some lavish luxuries he secured in the sale of the club. Bates signed a contract, which included a £100,000 deal with a private jet to fly him to Yorkshire from his home in Monte Carlo. Needless to say, the new owners of the club, GFH Capital, were none too pleased and took Ken to court over the matter, making international news in the process.
Ken Gregory – The late manager of Formula One racer Sterling Moss, Ken Gregory was no stranger to making headlines. He made history as the organizer of the first car racing meeting at Brands Hatch. As one of the founders of the British Racing Partnership, Gregory’s success seemed to lag at one point. However, Ken was not dissuaded and continued in his success, both on and off the race track. He later became a successful publisher with popular magazine Cars and Car Conversions.
Ken Myer – A prominent figure in Australia, Myer first made significant headlines when he created the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1959. He was also heavily involved in the implementation of Chadstone Shopping Centre, as part of his effort to bring easy access to malls and shopping centers to Australian cities. Part of this effort included campaigning for more freeways, which would give Australians living in rural areas more freedom to travel to the bigger cities.
Ken Anderson – District Attorney Ken Anderson found himself in court for all the wrong reasons in early 2013. He was accused of three counts of misconduct, including tampering with government records, tampering with physical evidence and failing to comply with a judge’s order to turn over evidence during the 1987 Michael Morton murder trial. Appeals in the case are ongoing.
Ken Robinson – Sir Ken Robinson, who counts the Queen of Britain among his personal friends, wasn’t all that well known around the world until his TED Talk on education went viral. So passionate was Robinson’s talk on education that the online video garnered over 8,660,010 views and counting. The talk deals with the negative impact formal education has on creativity, and has long held the rank as TED’s most popular video.
Ken Edwards – If you want to make the headlines, do something big and bold. Ken Edwards’ motivation for eating 36 live cockroaches was part of an effort to earn a Guinness World Record; however, he may have bitten off more than he could chew. When cockroaches are threatened, they release a chemical that leaves a nasty taste in the would-be predator’s mouth. It may have been an unpleasant way to make headlines, but it was a successful one.
Ken Killmeyer – He survived a tragic accident aboard the USS Forrestal, alongside future presidential hopeful John McCain. The vessel was the Navy’s first supercarrier, and is now decommissioned. Killmeyer was on hand once again when he spoke to reporters about the fate of the Forrestal, as the ship was hauled off by a Texas scrap company for recycling.
Justin Jedlica – They say that imitation is the ultimate former of flattery. If that is true, Justin Jedlica is flattering indeed. The young model has paid over $100,000 to have his body and face remodeled, to such an extent that he has been deemed “the real life Ken doll.” Justin made the news when he met real life Barbie; however, all reports indicate that the two did not get along very well.
Ken Jordon – The average arrow flies at speeds of around 300 feet per second. So, it’s never a good idea to get in the way of one, unless you happen to be Ken Jordon. A world record holder, Jordon made the headlines when he caught 13 arrows within a two minute time frame. It’s safe to say, he’s either incredibly brave or incredibly insane. Either way, he made big news around the world for his efforts.

10 Kens Famous for Their TV Appearances

September 19, 2015 by Kenney Myers

Streaming video online may be the wave of the future, but it hasn’t quite replaced the television just yet. Chances are, you still spend quite a bit of time relaxing in front of the TV, even if you’re a fan of online video and Internet entertainment. When it comes to TV talent, there seems to be a surfeit of gifted stars named Ken. These are 10 Kens who share not only an exceptional first name, but also the experience of making it a household name after appearing on television.

Ken James – An Australian actor whose career began in the 1960s, Ken James has done turns as the star of children’s shows, sitcoms and televised dramas. He also reinvented himself as a television chef, a stint that lasted more than a decade, regularly appeared on Good Morning Australia, and was actively involved in the marketing of a kitchen implement. In 2009, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but he’ll always be more famous for his television work than his battle with cancer.
Ken Wahl – Most popular for his role on the now-defunct CBS crime drama Wiseguy, Ken Wahl is something of an enigma himself. His true birth date remains something of a mystery to this day, as does his back story before reaching the big leagues of television fame. These days, he’s an outspoken animal activist and vocal supporter of disabled American military veterans.
Ken Lawson – While he’s worked as a rapper, Kenyatta “Ken” Lawson is most well-known for his work on sitcoms like In The House and The Parkers. He took a step back from acting in 2004 to pursue his musical career, but he definitely made his mark on the world of pop culture through his early days in television.
Ken Jeong – Ken Jeong began his career as a physician and professor at North Carolina A&T State University, graduating from high school at the prodigious age of 16. Working in medicine didn’t earn this famous Ken his notoriety, though. He made his television debut on The Big Easy as a doctor, and has since appeared on shows like Two and a Half Men, Boston Legal, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office. These days, you’ll see him staring as Senor Chang on the wildly popular sitcom Community.
Ken Jennings – It’s safe to say that Ken Jennings made his mark on television history when he set the records for both the longest winning streak on Jeopardy! and the most prize-money earnings in American history. A graduate of Brigham Young University and a computer scientist by trade, Ken Jennings has racked up millions of dollars by putting his super-powered knowledge of trivia to work on television game shows.
Ken Dodd – As a chart-topping singer/songwriter and comedian, Ken Dodd is famous for many things. His unique hairstyle, buck teeth and affection for feather dusters have all attributed to his fame, but his run of successful British television shows has put him on the global map of fame.
Ken Maynard – A beloved stuntman and actor whose movies still run on television decades after his death, Ken Maynard had the role of “cowboy” down to a science. He appeared in more than 90 films over the span of his career, but his struggles with addiction brought his run to an early end. A mysterious benefactor, widely believed to be Gene Autry, supported him through a quarter-century without work before he passed away of stomach cancer in 1973.
Ken Kercheval – There was a time when it seemed like the sudsy prime time hit Dallas was the only show on television, and this man was at the center of the action from day one. Ken Kercheval and his Dallas costar Larry Hagman were the only two original cast members to stay throughout the entire run of the show, reprising his role in reunion specials and the 2012 reboot of the show.
Ken Seeley – Climbing from the depths of addiction to reclaim sobriety is no mean feat. Doing so only to find yourself at the top of the entertainment world as a leading interventionist on the Emmy-winning A&E hit show Intervention is an even higher level of achievement. Seeley even received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 2011, and continues his work in television as an addiction specialist.
Kenny Wormald – A dancer and choreographer who has worked with superstars like Justin Timberlake, this Ken is no stranger to the small-screen limelight. Starring in reality programming before making the jump to made-for-television movies with the film Center Stage: Turn it Up, Kenny Wormald was also the male lead in the 2011 reboot of the 1980s dance classic Footloose.

10 Kens That Have Made Your Life Better

September 7, 2015 by Kenney Myers

To count the people throughout history who have changed your life for the better would be impossible. Every discovery and every innovation sends ripples across the tides of time, inspiring others to build on those discoveries and make life on Earth a little bit easier. Some people create vaccines that save millions of lives, others are innovators and inventors of labor saving devices, and others still discover the mechanisms that drive life and give humankind a better understanding of itself. These people have all made your life better, whether you know it or not, and at least ten of them share the name Ken.

Ken Ishii – In the world of vaccines, Ken Ishii’s name is synonymous with a dedication to research and development of life saving medicine. He spent seven years as a Visiting Scientist and IND reviewer at the Office of Vaccine Research and Review before returning to his home of Japan. Ken is currently serving at the Laboratory of Adjuvant Innovation at the National Institute for Biomedical Innovation.
Kenneth Lane Thompson – This pioneer of the Unix operating system was instrumental in designing and creating many of the computer operations you use today. He is also credited with creating regular expressions, text editors QED and ed, and defining UTF-8 encoding. Without these innovations, computer science as we know it would not have advanced as rapidly as it did. Lane was well ahead of his time, and is still regarded as one of the most ingenious pioneers in computer science to this day.
Dr. Ken Hsu, MD – As the co-inventor of the X-STOP device, Dr. Hsu has brought hope to sufferers of symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis all over the world. X-STOP is the least invasive surgery used to treat the condition, and is the first Interspinous Decompression Device in the world. With Dr. Hsu’s expertise in the field, it is certain that the X-STOP is only the first of future innovations.
Kenneth Clark – Kenneth and Mamie Clark, while most known for their work involving the psychological behaviors of children, changed the world with their expert testimony in the civil rights case of Briggs v. Elliott. The testimony led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that de jure racial segregation in public education was unconstitutional. It was because of civil rights victories such as these that American attitudes began to change.
Kenneth Arnold – Although the Roswell, New Mexico incident in 1947 is credited with creating the modern fascination with UFOs, it was preceded by the account of a sighting by Kenneth Arnold. The pilot claimed he witnessed nine flying objects in the vicinity of Mount Rainier. He gave detailed descriptions of the crafts, stating they were shiny and moving at supersonic speeds. After Arnold reported the sighting, the media ran with it and the public was hungry for more. Next came Roswell and the rest, as they say, is history.
Kenneth W. Rendell – As an expert in detecting forged documents, Rendell is rewriting history in a good way. Much of what is known of the past is dependent on the accuracy of the available written documents. Kenneth Rendell’s sophisticated methodology and scientific techniques, along with his extensive knowledge of history, are helping ensure that what you are told happened actually did happen.
Elliot “Ken” Volkin – Cited as the most vital find in molecular biology, the categorization of Messenger RNA won François Jacob and Jacques Monod the Noble Prize. However, it is important to note that in 1956 Elliot “Ken” Volkin and Lazarus Astrachan had already discovered the form of RNA, although they had not accurately identified its mechanisms. Without the pair’s initial discovery, Jacob and Monod would not have gone on to complete their own important work in the field.
Dr. Kenneth Blum – Mapping genes is how Dr. Kenneth Blum spends his time, which for everyone else means new understanding of both physical and neurological illnesses and treatments. Blum is most noted for the discovery of the alcoholic and happiness genes, as well as the effects of dopamine and the DRD2 gene on social interactions and political affiliations.
Ken Street – If you’ve ever had to memorize the periodic table, you can thank Ken Street for adding Berkelium, one of the transuranic radioactive chemical elements, to the list. BK for short, this element was discovered in 1949 and has an atomic number of 97. Street co-discovered the element along with Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso and Stanley G. Thompson.
Ken Kennedy – If you’re a fan of the Internet, Ken Kennedy is one of the people who helped to shape it. His work with domain languages, software systems and parallel computer programming earned him a place with the National Academy of Engineering and several honors along the way. Sadly, he passed away in 2007 of pancreatic cancer.