Good Morning...and once upon a time...long ago..Alexander Lane was a dirt road with 2 large ditches on each side.  In the middle of the block were 2 cinder block houses built by the Van Torre Brothers....all of the rest of the area was fields with some pretty darn good tree-climbing trees.  Straight across from the George VT house..walking toward Erben..was a small horse barn and fenced in area for a horse named Pride owned by a Mr. Chance.  His horses often led the Rose Bowl Parades.  If you kept walking straight again toward Yale you would be in the Kinsora's backyard with the ducks and a collie.

The only other house I recall on the Alexander block was the one near the corner dentist office..owned by a Mr. Schaeffer.  There was a pond behind it and that is where Kenny Baetens and myself caught pollywogs.

Kenny lived in the house directly kitty-corner..and across the street from the GVT house.  His house was one of three new homes at the time.  After I learned how to ice skate in the ditches, he taught me how to play hockey in his backyard ice pond.

His dad's name was Bob.  He owned a beer distributorship and was also Belgian.  Everyone thought he and my dad were brothers.  Kenny's mom was Vera.  She was very funny...just like Kenny.  Later, Ronnie came along and then David.  Eventually, they moved to Clarkston (I think)...I'm not sure exactly, but I think Kenny was in some branch of the service..in Texas..for awhile.  Later, in his early 20's, he was working afternoons or midnights...was on his way home in the early hours..on his motorcycle..and crashed into the Pontiac exit sign...fell asleep and was instantly killed.  His mom said he was having trouble adjusting to the hours....I think his brothers, Ron and David still run the distributorship...but can't be sure.   I saw them a few years back when my sister and I went to Bob's funeral. 

I will always remember Kenny...who nobody ever called Ken...because he was our block's

craziest and funniest kid.  I will always also remember him because there were tons of things about my son, Brad, who reminded me of Kenny.

Sorry I have taken so long to respond...as just thinking about Kenny turns up too many emotions...

Renee