The Khayat brothers: Tim, Kevin, and Clark. PHOTO BY GREEN STREET STUDIO. 32 WWW.SHAKERONLINE.COM
will step on the field with the <strong>Shaker</strong> <strong>Heights</strong> High School marching band in a few short years. And thus, the next generation <strong>of</strong> band members and groupies is born. “I loved growing up in <strong>Shaker</strong>. I always felt like it was a special place. It had an intangible quality aside from the architecturally beautiful homes,” says Jennifer. “There is very much the same sense <strong>of</strong> community and connection,” Laura adds with a smile, “We don’t see differences; we are a community. There is love in the air here.” As they contemplate what <strong>Shaker</strong> might be like for their children’s children, Jennifer says “I don’t think <strong>Shaker</strong> will change much in the future. As we give these same experiences to our children, and they pass them down to theirs, much <strong>of</strong> the fabric will stay the same – people are happy to be here. Citizens care deeply about it and it shows.” Khayats: Living and Re-living the Dream Thumbing through the “Ks” in the <strong>Shaker</strong> Schools directory, it is hard not to notice that the Khayats take up almost a column <strong>of</strong> their own. Among three boomeranging brothers and their spouses, there are seven Khayats enrolled in <strong>Shaker</strong> schools from elementary school to the high school, almost enough to field a baseball team. It is with visions <strong>of</strong> neighborhood baseball fields and well-worn gloves dancing in their heads that twin brothers Tim and Kevin (SHHS ’86) and their younger brother Clark (SHHS ’89) recall their days in the Onaway neighborhood in the 1970s and ‘80s. The tri-campus area was an ideal location for free play at Onaway, Woodbury, and on the High School ball fields, as well as Boulevard, Southerly Park, and the Duck Pond. And, play they did. “We left the house in the morning and didn’t come back till night,” says Tim. “Baseball was a really big part <strong>of</strong> our life,” says Kevin, who recently returned after more than 20 years in England. “We knew a lot <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Shaker</strong> baseball players when we were growing up because we lived near the ball fields and they were around all summer. We were honorary batboys,” he says with a smile. “We learned to play baseball by playing all the time. There wasn’t a lot <strong>of</strong> coaching, just playing,” adds Clark. They loved the carefree days <strong>of</strong> summer when they had the run <strong>of</strong> their neighborhood, and later most <strong>of</strong> the city, thanks to the “loop bus” which ran on a circuit around town throughout the summer. “You could hop on it up near the high school and go up to Thornton or go to sports camp at Byron,” recalls Tim. In boomeranging back to <strong>Shaker</strong> from various places in the state, the country, and the world, the brothers Khayat are re-living the days <strong>of</strong> their youth through the eyes <strong>of</strong> their children and feeling satisfied that what existed for them decades ago still thrives today. Tim and Kevin, who now live in Fernway and Clark, a Boulevard resident say the unique sense <strong>of</strong> community and connectedness still defines the city. While the loop bus is gone, the neighborhood and block parties still beckon the energetic youngsters. The block parties on Daleford Road, where Tim lives, are weekly and legendary. “People are so surprised that we do this every week. We even have a happy hour signup sheet. Adults hang out and socialize and the kids run all over the street. We embrace this; I would never want my kids not to have it,” says Tim. With his brothers nodding in agreement, Clark sums up the essence <strong>of</strong> their deep connection to <strong>Shaker</strong> and what they hope their children will absorb by living here: “One <strong>of</strong> the really unique and compelling things is that there is a ton <strong>of</strong> diversity and difference on the surface, but the funda- SHAKER LIFE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2013 33
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