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Lifelong Learner Ken Deveney of Ashland Has a Prize-Winning Eye for Travel
BOSTON, Mass. (January 21, 2008) — When Ken Deveney retired from his career as a high school math teacher in South Plainfield, N.J., he headed to Oregon in search of milder winters. A resident for more than 17 years, Deveney has found the perfect setting in Ashland to spend more time expanding on his love for learning and photography.
Photography has long been a serious hobby for Deveney — he has taken thousands of photographs and displays his work at the Galerie Karon in Ashland and at shows at several local coffee shops.
Deveney’s other passions include learning and travel. A decade ago, Deveney attended his first adventure with Elderhostel, a national not-for-profit organization that offers educational travel programs for adults 55 and over. He has hiked in Croatia and along the Dalmatian Coast while learning about____, cruised in Alaska, and most recently explored the ecology and geology of Arizona’s “canyon country,” where natural forces have developed an awe-inspiring visual landscape. It was this program that brought together all of Deveney’s interests. His photo of Antelope Canyon captured the theme of Elderhostel’s “active learning” photo contest and won first prize, a $100 voucher to use on a program of his choice.
“Antelope Canyon captured the lights of the canyon perfectly,” Deveney says. “Overall it was an amazing experience to be on Navajo Reservation land. When I choose an Elderhostel program, I always have photo opportunities in mind – so I am delighted that my photo won first prize in this new contest. What I love about Elderhostel is that in addition to seeing amazing places, I learn so much more about them than I ever would on my own.”
“Active learning is about being engaged in your subject matter and experiencing it hands-on,” says James Moses, president and CEO of Elderhostel. “We introduced the photo contest as a way for our participants to share their experiences with us visually. Mr. Deveney’s photo captures his enthusiasm for lifelong learning.”
Lifelong learning for Deveney is more than learning through travel — he keeps active in his community as well. He is a member of a Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Oregon, where he regularly takes courses and teaches classes on photography, word derivations, music appreciation and theory, and the history of computers. He is also president of the local chapter of the National Association of Composers/USA and has had his music performed in local concerts with them for seven years.
Deveney’s next Elderhostel learning adventure will take him to the Shakespeare Festival in Oregon. “I am very interested in finding out more about Shakespeare and about the theater here in my backyard,” he says. “Having the program so close is appealing, but the subject matter is the bigger draw for me.”
Elderhostel, founded in 1975, is the world’s largest not-for-profit educational travel organization for older adults. More than 160,000 people enroll in Elderhostel’s 8,000 programs annually. Elderhostel provides exceptional learning adventures throughout the United States and Canada and in more than 90 countries around the world. Expert instructors and experienced group leaders create extraordinary experiences by sharing stimulating information, leading fascinating field trips and providing meaningful cultural excursions. In 2004, Elderhostel launched Road Scholar to meet the needs of a new generation of educational travelers. For more information, please visit www.elderhostel.org or www.roadscholar.org.
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