Ken Phillip 100th Birthday

In honor of what would have been Ken Phillip's 100th birthday, I have shown what he did with his retirement years. Ken & Harriet moved out to Moscow, Idaho in 1978, after Ken retired. I lived in Pullman (eight miles away). I felt responsible for "keeping Dad busy". Below are as many projects as I could find in my house that Dad built for me. Usually, once I got the prototype, the rest of my brothers and brother's wives wanted at least one also.






When Judy Mann heard about what I was doing for Dad's 100th Birthday Blog, she wanted to share a story about this shelf:

Kenneth made this shelf for Judy in the late 1950s. I think he was commissioned by Maxine for a gift for Judy. Judy married Larry and left the shelf behind. When Jean and Maxine moved from their home on Newberry Street and a miscommunication between Maxine and Judy, the shelf was put on the auction block. Judy attended the auction and bought the shelf for $13.00.

This is a picture of Dad's branding iron which he used faithfully on everything he made ~ "Hand crafted by Kenneth Phillip". After he got the branding iron, many of us had him visit our homes and brand things he made prior to having the iron. Mom had a terrible time getting him to brand his wooden projects on the bottom....Dad thought the brand should be in a prominent visible spot.
One of the biggest wood projects Dad did was build Grandfather clocks. These pictures show one of the small clocks (both Dennis & Kenny have one, so the clock in the mirror is appropriate to show two of them). Dad is shown stanging next to our first clock, now belonging to Dennis. We have one of the large clocks as shown in the next picture.












He built numerous hall trees, sofa tables, and piano benches












Dad made several different types of quilt racks and holders.

















.....and bathroom shelves


















Holders for many things.....napkins, special coins, UK placemats






















For the dining room....Dad built many casserole holders, trivetts, and nut cracker bowls




























He built what-not sheves for all occasions...in our Christmas room, and our bedroom, plus many more shelves.














Remember the two boxes Dad mad for each of the family reunions, one in 1989 and one in 1995. He also made a box for each of his six kids 50th birthdays as well as their spouses.



He made many rolling pin holders so all of us "donut shop owners" could hang our huge rolling pins.....and whirley gigs for outside hanging.

Tony convinced him to build a wood box to sit by our fireplace, which Dad built in 2001 ~ He was 92 years old and still working in his garage!

Hanging letter boxes and baseball card boxes.....and Dad made at least 50 of the plant hangers.

He made necklace holders, a ladder to display miniature Christmas decorations, and scarf holdlers.

Holders for thread in the sewing room....Rosebud vases

Plastic bag holders and "roll of stamp" holders....

Holders for picture calendars (I now use this one to display calendar pictures I particularly like...I have another one in the kitchen for the picture calendar)....Barbie doll boxes (he made nine of these for me.....four of them are for each of my granddaughters with a Happy Holidays Barbie bought the year they were each born)

A portable desk to be used in the car.....and a box he built for me in the 1960s to hold all of my beautician supplies

This box was built to hold crafts...I believe it was one of a kind. Dad built numerous scissor holders.

Dad built many picture frames....one example is of the picture frames he built for all of us for our quarter posters. He built a holder for an antique cup and saucer with a bar below it for a cross stitch mini towel made by Cindy Phillip.

A magazine rack.....a clock

Coaster holders and hurricane lamps

He made several pen holders

The cute "exercise block" and golf ball inside a box....

Believe these are one of a kind....a phone stand for my desk and a cedar box

Dad made numerous pictures frames for all of us....this one was made for postcards. The postcard is of the Alliance fountain. He made many wood frames for the cross stitch project shown.

I didn't photograph every frame, shelf, etc.....but you get the idea of what Ken Phillip did during his retirement years.

I knew Dad had built something for every room in our home....we see and use them every day.....but, until I started this project of capturing them on film....I had no idea the extent of just how many items he had built before and during his retirement years. If doing what you love creates a happy life.....our Dad, Ken Phillip, did a good job.