Bay Windows - November 27, 2003
Rudy Kikel

Birthdate: November 11, 1956

How did you spend your birthday? "Ruth took me to dinner at the Tuscan Grill in Waltham."

Sign: Scorpio

Have you heard anything about Scorpios that seems true of you? "They always say that Scorpios have a sting to them. I can have a sting."

Current residence: "In Lexington, Mass."

Ethnic roots: "I'm German and Czech. My mother is Czech."

Religion: "Catholic. Can you believe it?"

I guess my question is: do you believe it? " "Yeah, I was born Catholic. I went through the stage of soul searching. And decided to stay Catholic."

A place of worship? "Sacred Heart Church in Lexington."

Occupation: "I'm a development editor."

Points of origin: "I was born in Iowa, and lived there for most of my life until 1988. I grew up on a farm. I have four brothers and one sister. I'm the second youngest child.

"For most of my life and even today, I have a strong interest in athletics. I was a softball player in Turkey Valley High School. [Laughs with interviewer] We were in the Turkey River Valley. Our school mascot was the Trojans-that gets almost an equal laugh out of people.

"I played softball in college as well-at the University of Northern Iowa."

Good school? "It is. About 12,000 students-good for me. Beautiful campus, good community. I studied teaching there, and have a degree in psychology (BA) and teaching (BS).

"After getting my degree, I taught high school for six years-high school social science. And I coached as well-softball, basketball and golf.

"While I was teaching I had a big life change. I was hit by a drunk driver-in a serious car accident.

"Both my legs were damaged, my ribs were broken, I was out of work for eight months. While I was in the hospital I realized that I'd almost lost my 'some days,' as in 'some day I'll do this,' 'some day I'll do that.'

"It was then I decided I wasn't going to put things off and wait. I was going to take life in my own hands. I decided to go to graduate school. I went to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and got a master's degree in Physical Education. I studied sports psychology and sports administration."

You weren't permanently injured? "I have aches and pains, but, no, I wasn't permanently injured.

"I was at Ames for two years. Through connections I made there I came out here [Boston]-I got an offer for an internship in Boston, with the Center for the Study of Sport and Society, at Northeastern University.

"I moved out here for a non-paying internship. Who moves to Boston for a non-paying job? But remember, I was throwing caution to the wind and going for it.

"When I got here, in 1988, I knew that I would need to get a part-time job, so I could earn some money; because of my teaching job I was able to get a job in educational publishing. I really liked publishing and ended up going into it full time seven months later."

Is that where you are now? "I'm with a different publisher, Pearson Education, for eight years now. In between the two publishing company jobs, I brought my publishing skills to a public-health project, working for a non-profit organization, the Education Development Center in Newton, an HIV-Education Network. We published HIV curricula for elementary and high school teachers."

That's really important work. "It is. I loved working in HIV education.

"In moving out here, I had been looking for something to get involved with. A woman I worked with sang with this group, the Merrimack Valley Chorus, which is a chapter of Sweet Adelines International."

It's not a lesbian chorus? "It's not. What it is is a very gay-friendly barber-shop chorus. We sing four-part harmony. So the women all have to sing one of those four parts." How many are you? "There are 30."

What do the Sweet Adelines bring to Greater Boston, in which there are already many choruses, including lesbian ones? "I think it offers a nice alternative to classical singing, because we sing show tunes, we dance, and it's all done in this very precision four-part harmony. It is a form of a cappella.

"I think there are a lot of lesbians who would enjoy singing but don't want to sing classical: we do jazz, blues, show tunes, swing music and some nice ballads and love songs-a nice variety of music. I just think lesbians would enjoy Sweet Adelines.

"Furthermore, a lot of our songs are choreographed, which you don't find with other choruses. Lastly, Sweet Adelines International has multiple opportunities throughout the year for educational growth. We can take private voice lessons, we can learn vocal production skills individually or as a group. There's a four-day workshop once a year by the international organization in improving our vocal as well as leadership skills. It's a great community."

Where can our readers come into contact with you in the near future? "We'll be at the Woburn Christmas tree lighting on November 29, at 5:30 or 6 pm; we're also in Stoneham, November 3 at 4 pm; both performances are on their respective town commons; people can also check us out online at www.merrimackvalleychorus.org

"I dream, in 10 years, of "being retired. I'm hoping I can retire at 55."

Hobbies? "I love to garden. I do a lot of my own landscaping. I also love to cook, which I think comes from my Czech mother." Do you have a partner? "I do. Her name is Ruth. We've been together seven years. We've known each other for 10 years."

What happened to take the relationship to another level? "We met through the chorus, I had been attracted to her, I came out to her; she said she felt the same way. (At the time she didn't know that I was gay.) This all happened at the base of the Alps. The chorus was performing in Austria at the time."

To what do you attribute your relationship's success? "We balance each other out. I like to cook, she doesn't; I like yard work, she doesn't; she loves doing house cleaning, I don't; she's better than I am with finances. I love the synergy we have."

What attribute of yours do people most comment upon? "My energy. I have a lot of drive. I'm very intense and passionate about things."

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