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| Richard "Buster" Keenan | |
Richard "Buster" Keenan, longtime bookseller and projects manager at Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, Colo., died on March 31. He began at the store in 1988, and worked in a variety of jobs throughout his tenure. More important than his job titles, Boulder Bookstore remembered, "Buster was the person who took care of the people and the things at the store."
The store continued: "Buster was a technological savant. He mastered IBID, Square One and iMerchant. He'd answer any question the staff had about computers both hardware and software, personal and professional. He kept the more than 30 computers in the store running, frequently relying on scavenged parts that anyone else would have given up as junk....
"Buster threw himself into whatever project was happening around the store. If there was an offsite event, he was there setting up the computers. If we had a remainder pallet arriving, he was carrying in boxes. If we were putting on a Harry Potter party, he was dressed as Hagrid, ready to help with anything."
Keenan was also supportive of his colleagues, "always there for his bookstore family. He was a wonderful baker and frequently made blondies and cakes for the staff. Occasionally, he would whip up chocolate mousse in the biggest bowl he could find. On March 14 (Pi Day), he would bring in up to a half a dozen pies. This year, he brought in four macaroni and cheese pies for the staff along with two dessert pies."
Boulder Bookstore owner David Bolduc called Keenan "one of a kind. We've been friends for 33 years, and I miss him already."
General manager Arsen Kashkashian added: "Buster was so thoughtful. If you mentioned that you liked something he made or a kind of candy he had on his desk he'd stock up on it. I had to be careful or I'd end up with a vat of his vegetarian chili. When an employee left the store, Buster often gave them a gift of whatever it was that they liked best. He was just a wonderful person to everyone."
Keenan was a board member of the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association in the late 1990s; he brought his blondies to meetings and conferences and served as a one-man welcoming committee to new booksellers.
Anne Holman, co-owner of the King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, Utah, remembered: "At my first trade show in 1999, he was there with brownies and a kind word. Booksellers can be a daunting bunch, and I've always felt like he was one of my first friends in the industry."
Norton field sales manager Meg Sherman added: "Buster was always quick to help. I originally met Buster when I spent two days with him in early 1994, learning the ins and outs of the Square One POS system. He trained me so that I could train the rest of our booksellers at Chinook Bookshop [in Colorado Springs]. Years later, he had volunteered to come down to Chinook to help us with inventory and when I called him to tell him not to come down (because the staff was just told that the store was closing), he came down anyway and stayed for the whole day. He was my rock that day."
A ceremony celebrating Keenan's life will be held at the bookstore on the evening of May 22. Please send photos and memories for sharing via e-mail here. And to RSVP, click here. In lieu of flowers, Keenan's family has asked people to make donations to BINC in his honor.