Durham Morning Herald, March 11, 1980

 Official’s Son Hurt in Fall

Crafton Keller, 19, the son of Mayor Pro Tem Margaret Keller, was injured Friday in a fall from a second-story dormitory room at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a student.

He was reported in critical condition Monday night at the school’s University Hospital.

Bill Aldrich, of the school’s news bureau, said Keller fell onto the sidewalk at 10:30 p.m. Friday. He said surgeons operated on Keller for bad head injuries that night.

Aldrich said he has heard reports that Keller was trying to get into his King’s Court dormitory room through a window. According to the reports, Keller had locked his key in his room, Aldrich said, and was trying to enter the room from a second-story ledge when he lost his balance.

It was “strictly accidental,” Aldrich said.

Dorm Fall Fatal to Keller Youth  (DMH, March 19, 1980)

Thomas Crafton Keller, 19, of 1024 Markham Ave. died at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. He was the son of Durham Mayor Pro Tem Margaret Keller and Thomas Keller, dean of Duke University’s business school.

Keller had been seriously injured in a March 7 fall from a second-story dormitory room at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a sophomore. He was operated on for head injuries that night.

Since then, he had been in “poor” condition at the school’s University Hospital. A spokesman said the hospital uses “poor” instead of “critical” in condition reports.

Ed McFall, director of the university’s news bureau, said Keller’s death was due to head injuries resulting from the fall. To the best of my knowledge, he never regained consciousness,” McFall said.

According to reports at the time of the accident, Keller had climbed out onto a second-story ledge outside his room window. Keller had locked his key in his room, according to the reports, and was trying to get in the room when he lost his balance and fell.

A native of Durham, he attended Durham city schools and graduated from Durham Academy High School. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church.

Surviving are his parents; two brothers, Neel Keller and John Keller, both of Durham; his paternal grandmother, Mrs. Alonzo Keller of Greenwood, S.C.; and his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Neel Querry of Greenwood.

A private burial will be held Thursday at Maplewood Cemetery, according to the university’s news bureau.

Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church by the Rev. Dr. Samuel S. Wiley.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests that contributions be made to the T. Crafton Keller Memorial Fund at the First Presbyterian Church.

Keller Memorial Service Today (DMH, 3/20/2008)

A memorial service for Thomas Crafton Keller, 19, will be held at 4 p.m. today in First Presbyterian Church. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in Maplewood Cemetery.

Keller died Tuesday from injuries he suffered in a March 7 fall from a second-story window ledge at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a sophomore.

He had lived in Durham all his life and attended George Watts Carr Junior High and Durham Academy Upper School. In 1977-78, he was Durham Academy’s first American Field Service exchange student and spent that year in Stockholm, Sweden.  He was a 1978 graduate of Durham Academy and Soedra Latin, Stockholm. He entered ther University of Pennsylvania in September 1978. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church.

Surviving are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Keller of Durham; two brothers, Neel Keller and John Keller, both of Durham; his paternal grandmother, Mrs. Alonzo Keller of Greenwood, S.C.; and his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Neel Querry of Greenwood.

The family requests that flowers be omitted. Memorials may be made to the Crafton Keller Memorial Fund at First Presbyterian Church.

John Anderson Campaign, Durham, North Carolina, Guess Road quick rally.  "Candor for a Change."  Obviously, a low budget campaign for the presidency.  John B. Anderson (b. 1922), a moderate Republican, ran independently and garnered about 7% of the final vote.  I worked briefly as a (paid) courier for his campaign, driving documents between Tar Heel city's from Durham to Charlotte.  Gore Vidal and other independent types endorsed Anderson. 

Letter, July 7, 1980. MVK to EDF:

Dear Erik,

I was just delighted when "E" told me that you and "K" will be able to come up to visit us in New Hampshire. He said that the weekend of the eighteenth would be compatible with your plans. Surprisingly enough, that weekend is good for me, too. Please let me know when you have definite plans so that I can arrange my working schedule and will know when to expect you. We are both anxious to see you two as our summer has been pretty dull so far.

As you no doubt already know, "E" is still jobless and is earning his keep here by helping us redecorate the house; it's really quite a shambles but we'll be mostly done by the time you-all come. I'm working (sigh!) at a local department store where everyone is either very high school or married and raising children. No one is very smart, either. It's really weird, but then so is life in New England.

What do you-all want to do while you're up here (besides meeting gorgeous girls, that is)?  Anything in particular? Or shall "E" and I think of something? We've got all of Mass., Vt, NH and Maine to choose from -- I'm sure something will pop up. We'll see . . .

Congratulations on getting through another semester at UNC. I'll expect to hear from you through "E" or otherwise sometime about things. . .

July 13, 1980: The Who, Greensboro Coleseum.  Loud.  

Mid-July-August: Boston, Massachusetts -- survived, barely. This was part of a crazy trip encompassing North Carolina, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. 

"Forgotten N.C. battle comes alive," Raleigh N & O, August 10, 1980.  That's me and The Battle of Bentonville: Johnston's Last Stand (1980).

"Erik France invents his own war game," The Durham Sun, August 14, 1980.

Signed up for Selective Service on August 15, 1980, or at least that's the official government "Date of Record."

October 3-5: Trip to Charleston, South Carolina.

October 17-21: Trip to Atlanta with Jim C., Georgia. Kinks at the Fox Theatre, October 20.

November 4: Election Day. Reagan defeats Carter.

November 5-9: History Trip with Jim Leutze. First met Bill C.  Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville

November 22: UNC-Duke and The Cars in concert.

November 26-30: Thanksgiving Trip to Atlanta with the fam'.

December 8: John Lennon shot and killed in NYC.