PROFILES

JOHN KEELING

“if I see a need and I think it can be met, I go ahead and do it.” That explains John Keeling’s contributions to Lakeside since moving here in 2002. A British-born Canadian, John holds degrees in engineering and business studies and taught at Seneca College in Ontario for 15 years before retiring here with his wife Rosemary. “I have Aspberger’s Syndrome,” he says, “so I have to chart my own course.” And what a course it’s been.

John’s current project is to publish a birding guide titled Birds of Central Jalisco, Guadalajara and Chapala. “What is needed is a book featuring all the local species in two languages,” he explained. He and co-authors Jules Evens and Julio Alvarez chose a layout specialist, selected 350 species, wrote English and Spanish texts, and solicited photos by local photographers to illustrate them. He hopes to publish by Christmas.

John led the Lake Chapala Birders, a group founded 20 years ago by an American couple who later relocated to Ecuador. They had established a newsletter and a formula for bird walks and trips and approached John to take over. John was happy to oblige. He led three or four walks each month and trips further afield to places like the Colima Volcano. He prepared and circulated a monthly newsletter to 350 readers and organized the annual Christmas Bird Count (an event begun in New York City by the Audubon Society in 1900). “Normally we have 30 birders in five teams for the count,” he explained. John recently passed the baton to a new group of younger birders but continues as a participant.

Back in 2008 he heard comments from musicians and singers about the poor acoustics in the Lakeshore Auditorium. “I put up a notice at the Lake Chapala Society asking for an acoustics expert to come forward.” A year later, “the perfect person” appeared. Tom Weeks is an architect who had worked on upgrading performance venues in Canada and the USA. John persuaded Tom to volunteer for an entire summer, designing a remodel of the auditorium. “We redid the stage and removed the existing dropped ceiling.” Of course, the remodel required money, so John approached the Jalisco Secretary of Culture who agreed to support a grant application. “It was approved in 2011. We received one million pesos from the federal government, one million from the state of Jalisco, all on the condition that we raised a third million locally within one year.”

John organized a series of fundraising events such as concerts and craft sales. All the local music organizations contributed, and with the help of a major individual donor the goal was achieved. Construction was contracted out by the Jalisco State Government. “After it was completed in 2012, I was really pleased when a professor of music attending a Northern Lights concert told me that he could hear everything perfectly.”

John’s love of music extended to involvement in Viva la Musica, an organization that organized bus trips to concerts of the Jalisco Symphony in Guadalajara as well as other classical concerts locally and sponsored a scholarship program for local students of music. John’s wife Rosemary was President of Viva la Musica for 10 years and John supported her as treasurer, ticket sales and bar manager.

Those of us who lived at Lakeside 15 years ago will recall John’s other major contribution to the community, his restaurant guides. “In Toronto I bought Toronto Life Magazine for its annual restaurant guide. When I arrived here, I saw the need for something similar. The local restaurants didn’t advertise their location or opening hours or menus. The need was obvious. I used the Toronto Life Restaurant Guide as the pattern and self published my own annual guide here for seven years. It rated over 100 Lakeshore restaurants as well as mentioning the better restaurants in Guadalajara.”

It was delightful interviewing John. Our community has benefited in many ways from his decision to retire here. Whether you are a birder, a music buff or a gourmand, you can thank John Keeling for his many efforts to make lakeside an ideal spot to pursue these interests.