This is my dad, Mike McKeown. There is simply not enough space for me to write all that I feel about him. Plainly put, and obvious as it may sound, I am who I am because of him. This is one of the images of my dad that I’ve seen countless times - at his desk, on the phone, working as hard as I’ve ever seen someone work. He has been a State Farm Insurance agent for my entire life plus several years, and I have plenty of memories of visiting him in his office and watching him work. Much of what I know and feel about my professional life can be traced back to what I’ve learned by simplly watching him work. Specifically, I remember each day after school in second grade, officer Jim (the police officer who worked at my school) would stop traffic so I walk about 500 yards from Wake Forest Elementary School to White St in downtown Wake Forest and meet my father at his office. There, I can remember sitting in admiration of him, taking great pride in the fact that my dad could do something like this. Even today, I still feel that same admiration.
In addition to being an Insurance Agent, my father is a minister of music at a local church. Incredibly, he approaches each job with the same desire and willingness to help people. He says that his work as an insurance agent is simply another opportunity for him to be a minister - an opportunity, that is, which allows him not to evangelize and propagate ideals, which he never does, but rather to simply help others when they are in need.
Recently, my dad has been tremendously supportive of me in these early stages of my venturing into the professional photography business. I could truly not ask for a better business partner. In every way, he has proved to be an invaluable ally.
Again, as I said before, I cannot begin to summon the correct words to describe my admiration and appreciation for my dad. Let it suffice for now for me to say that he is simply an incredible man, an incredible friend, and an incredible father.