In the digital age, no utterance goes unchecked from the mouths of celebrities, sports stars or politicians. Everything is recorded for future generations, giving a level of insight into the minds of generations past. These 10 Kens have all made their mark on this world, and here are some examples of what they had to say.
- Ken Kesey – The author of the highly acclaimed book One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey was, in all things, a lover of nature. Not quite a beatnik, but not a hippie either, Kesey’s quotes, like this one, often reflected a sentiment that was of the two generations. “You’ve got to get out and pray to the sky to appreciate the sunshine; otherwise you’re just a lizard standing there with the sun shining on you.”
- Ken Adam – The famous set designer, who worked with greats such as Stanley Kubrick, had this to say about his ground breaking set design on the James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice: “The challenge appealed to me also, the shape of the volcano. I knew if it didn’t work I’d never work in movies again. [Producer] Cubby Broccoli asked me how much it would cost. I quoted him a million dollars, which at that time was a huge amount of money. He said if I could do it for a million, then do it. That’s when I really began to worry.”
- Ken Auletta – Auletta is a well-respected journalist and, currently, media critic for the New Yorker. With such high credentials behind his words, media students can take this quote to the bank: “Always point your finger at the chest of the person with whom you are being photographed. You will appear dynamic. And no photo editor can crop you from the picture.”
- Ken Baumann – This young actor, writer of novels and owner of a non-profit publishing business wasn’t lying when he said, “I love art and I think I was destined to end up in some aspect of the arts.” At the tender age of 24, Ken Baumann has already garnered plenty of acclaim and respect. Baumann is definitely one to watch as he grows to even greater heights in the future.
- Ken Blanchard – He is best known as the author of the bestselling book The One Minute Manager. Blanchard’s book changed the dynamics of how many managers view the employer/employee relationship. His way of thinking is summed up perfectly in this quote: “In the past, a leader was a boss. Today’s leaders must be partners with their people… they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.”
- Ken Buck – Currently serving as the District Attorney for Weld County, Colorado, Buck lost out to Michael Bennet in a bid for the Senate in 2010, when he challenged him as the Republican candidate. Despite Ken’s passion for reducing the budget, it would appear that the following quote fell on deaf ears: “I’m coming to Washington, D.C., to do the people’s work. And the people’s work has to do with reducing spending and cutting budgets and, and trying to get a grip on the size of government.”
- Ken Burns – “I grew up certain for a while that I was going to be an anthropologist, until film turned my head.” While he may not have become an anthropologist, there is a degree of people study involved in Ken Burns work as a documentary filmmaker. In particular, he is often credited with using photographs and archival footage, effectively building a detailed study of his subjects.
- Ken Curtis – Better known as Festus Haggen from the long running show Gunsmoke, Ken Curtis was truly married to the role, as revealed in this quote: “I really miss Gunsmoke. It was like losing my whole family.”
- Kenneth Harrelson – One of baseball’s legends, the “Hawk” was never short of a great sporting observation. While debating the finer details of baseball, he had this comparison to make with golf: “In baseball, you hit your home run over the right-field fence, the left-field fence, the center-field fence. Nobody cares. In golf everything has got to be right over second base.”
- Ken Macleod – As well as being an award winning author, Macleod is known for being a bit of a comedian and an all-around happy man. So it’s no surprise that this quote is attributed to him: “I’m a long-term optimist, and I don’t think the problems with our society are from being overly optimistic.”
2012 was a busy time for news with the upcoming presidential election. However, not to be outdone, these 10 Kens managed to make some headlines of their own. You might be wondering to yourself why 2012 and not 2013? Perhaps that is an opportunity for another post yet to come?
I decided to explore the dark side of the name Ken as a part of my ongoing series of lists of Kens. Like many other common names, we have had our share of infamous criminals (some white collar, some worse), here are ten that come to mind quickly for me:
It is said that charity begins at home, and for many people that is true. However, a home is often defined as a place where a person feels safe, welcomed and respected. Homes can take the form of hospitals, schools, sporting arenas and much more. When someone of considerable wealth feels that their second home or family needs a helping hand, they are often more than happy to donate some of their hard earned money. Such was the case for these ten exceptional human beings, each of whom has pledged at least one million dollars to a worthy cause close to their hearts. While they all share a generous nature, they also share the same first name Ken.
Roughly one in 142 Americans carries the name Kenneth, which has a first-name rate of 80.41% and a middle-name rate of 19.59%. When the population statistics of the United States are compared against these statistics, it indicates that there are approximately 2,224,539 people with the name of Kenneth in the nation. The most common derivative nicknames of Kenneth are “Ken” and “Kenny.” These 10 men are some of the most interesting public figures who have the name Ken or its parent name Kenneth. NOTE: some of these you will see on other lists of Kens on this site!