Bishop Kee will again be at Southernmost Point

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Eleven years after his death, Bishop Albert Kee is still bringing people together.

Key West city commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Aug. 5, to place a life-sized statue of Kee at the Southernmost Point, commemorating the late Bishop and other black families who used to sell fresh fish and assorted items at that location. Kee was instrumental in maintaining the iconic Keys lifestyle and helped turned Southernmost Point into a tourist attraction by famously blowing a conch shell with one hand while waving to visitors with the other.

Considered a good-will ambassador for Key West, efforts to honor Kee and a lifestyle long gone from the Keys stalled due to a lack of funding to pay for the statue. But on Aug. 5, those efforts were jumpstarted by the commission vote approving the use of Art in Public Places funds to pay part of the cost of the $53,000 statue. They were taking advantage of a 2011 resolution allowing one percent of all new construction to go into a fund designation to creating public artworks around the city.

“I just wanted to say how delighted I am this moment has finally come. It’s been such a hard road,” said former City Commissioner Carmen Turner, who initially proposed the project shortly after Kee’s death on Aug. 25, 2003. “There is such a degree of support among this community for this particular project. It is a dream come true for a lot of people.”

Indeed, efforts to raise the necessary funds for artist Tom Joris’ sculpture have crisscrossed organizational lines in Key West. Bruce Neff, executive director of Historic Markers, Inc., said his non-profit group will donate an 80-word metal marker to be installed next to the statue outlining Kee’s contributions to Key West. The group will also create a free phone tour of Kee’s life that can be accessed by visitors to the statue, as well as a dedicated Facebook page and a listing in the Historic Marker’s walking tour map.

“We believe these services will make his story come to life and highlight the story of a unique ambassador for the island,” Neff said.

Kelly Friend, president of Old Island Restoration Foundation, the local non-profit that maintains the island’s oldest house on Duval Street, said her organization will donate money from next year’s conch-blowing contest on March 7 towards the statue.

“He reminds us of why we love to live here and why we won’t leave,” Friend said.

Commissioner Jimmy Weekley challenged Commissioner Tony Yaniz at the meeting to contribute to the statue fund. Both men ended up giving $500. Greg Sullivan, regional director for Waste Management, the city’s trash hauler, kicked in $10,000 from his company. Blue Heaven restaurant owners sent a check for $3,000. And Art in Public Places has already raised $17,000.

“Just this week alone, since we’ve gotten the word out, the people who have been contributing is just amazing. It’s overwhelming,” said Commissioner Clayton Lopez, who took over the effort to win approval for the statue from former Commissioner Turner.

Kee’s granddaughter, Eunice Johnson, 21, read a letter from her mother, Brenda Kee Johnson, Kee’s daughter.

“August 25th will make it 11 years since my father passed away. We are all so thankful to see how many people’s lives he has touched in some way,” Johnson’s letter read.

“He was always an honorable man of great integrity, a family man, a humble man and a gentleman,” said Bahama Village resident Mona Clark. “You have a wonderful opportunity to honor Bishop Albert Kee, who represented an important role in the fabric and history of our beloved Key West.”

Kee, who was 62 when he died, was an active member of the Church of God and Prophecy, becoming a deacon, pastor and then a bishop of the church in 1999. His funeral attracted a huge crowd, led into the Key West Cemetery by a marching band from the Bahamas.

 

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