ANYONE MEETING Keith West for the first time would have a hard time taking him seriously. Oh, his demeanor is serious enough, but virtually everything out of his mouth is outrageous. If you ask him a question, he always responds with a one-liner.
So I suggested to him that he consider developing a stand-up comedy routine, like former Deseret News employee Dick Carter, and go on Leno or Letterman. His retort: "I can't stand up too long. My back hurts after awhile." Mostly, he intends to sleep in and travel when he begins retirement - which is immediately.But that's OK, because West is a healthy and fit 62-year-old, even though he has put in 37 of those years at the Deseret News. While he studied journalism at the University of Utah, beginning 43 years ago, he worked part time in the evenings in the Deseret News library.
People would call up and ask for sports scores or expect him to help them with their homework assignments. Or they would ask, "What will the weather be like on June 24 - I'm planning an outdoor wedding."
He went into the Army after graduation and served as an information specialist with the 6th Infantry Division during the Korean War.
Afterward, he used the GI Bill to get a master's degree at the U., then became editor of a trade magazine - representing the National Chinchilla Breeders Association. When the magazine moved to New York, he decided to stay in Salt Lake City.
He could see that chinchillas were not as popular as mink.
On Veterans Day, 1956, he was hired as Deseret News promotion manager and began an interesting career creating and carrying out various educational and community programs, including "37 cold winters with the Deseret News Ski School."
Probably the most important program bearing West's stamp is the prestigious Sterling Scholar Awards program, which he, Lavor Chaffin and Steve Hale initiated in 1961 to honor high school seniors. "In 32 years I lugged 18,000 portfolios - containing a compilation of their awards - to preliminary judging."
When he started the Deseret News Marathon in 1969, possibly the most stressful of his programs, he had no gray hair. People would call up and ask, "How come you didn't have a drink for me at the 13-mile mark?" When asked what his own time was in the marathon, he says, "Thirty minutes - of course, I was in a truck."
His worst memory was marathon morning, July 24, 1986, when he woke up with a gall bladder attack. Someone subbed for him that day.
In 1977 he started the statewide spelling program, which became a part of the National Spelling Bee. Just a few of the other programs he spearheaded include the Utah State Tennis Championships, the Silver Pins bowling tournament, the Jordan River canoe race, teenage fashion shows, Salute to Youth concerts, Santa's Helping Hand, a Christmas pageant, Red Cross swimming lessons, the Fourth of July Cavalcade, the Choral Music Festival, the Messiah Sing-In, the Christmas lighting contest and the Junior Pentathlon.
He also initiated a number of reader contests, such as "The Christmas I Remember Best."
West especially enjoyed taking tours through the newspaper office, from elementary-school children to college students. "I probably talked to 20,000 kids. I enjoyed relating to them and showing them where I spend my day."
Those who have been on one of those tours have seen his stand-up routine. During the tour he would tell outrageous stories, such as the one about the little boy who fell in the presses. "When his mother opened the paper, she didn't even recognize him. I asked her how he had enjoyed the tour, and she said, `He was really impressed.' "
West has enjoyed his job because of its variety. "Every few months you're doing something different than you did a few months earlier. And you get to meet a lot of great people, from ski school instructors to high school teachers and principals."
Marjorie Thalman has been married to West for 42 years. Together they have five children and 13 grandchildren. Will she enjoy having him around more? "She says she thinks the first week will be nice. Then she wants to go back to work."
But he will be home now - with his T-shirt quilt of memories - while someone else manages the building, handles the annual employee picnic, the annual awards dinner, the Christmas buffet, the copyrighting of articles, employee birthday cards, permission to reprint articles and who knows what else.
He just thinks it's time.