Mervin Laverne Keedy

Dr. Mervin "Mike" Laverne Keedy was born on a farm in western Nebraska. As a youth, he loved model airplanes and singing in school and church. He began college at Peru State Teachers College in Nebraska, but as WWII began he moved to Chicago and joined the Army Air Corps, where he was trained in meteorology and served as a forecaster for U.S. pilots in North Africa and Italy. After the war he earned a B.A. in Meteorology at the University of Chicago. Upon graduation he changed careers and taught high school math and science in Idaho where he learned to fly private airplanes.

Pursuing his interest in teaching, Dr. Keedy attended the University of Nebraska and earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1957. Dr. Keedy was hired as Associate Director of the University of Maryland Mathematics Project, which developed new math curricula for junior high schools. His series, Exploring Modern Mathematics, was adopted by the state of Florida for all junior high schools in the early 1960s. In 1961, Dr. Keedy became a professor of Math Education at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, where he went on to author or coauthor over 50 math textbooks ranging from elementary school through college.

Throughout this time he flew his beloved Piper Comanche airplane to speaking engagements, publisher meetings, and family visits. Dr. Keedy retired in 1987 and moved to Florida where he started The Textbook Authors Association, designed to promote and advocate for textbook authors. He continued his avid interest in flying, adding a red 1937 Waco biplane to his air collection. Dr. Keedy sang in several churches in Florida, and he was active in the Barbershop Harmony Society, where he composed songs and wrote manuscripts on barbershop harmony theory.

Source: Whidden-McLean Funeral Home