Keith worked full-time for Andrews University in the Computing Center Technical Support division, and taught an occasional class for the Computer Information Science department 1978–1993. It was his responsibility to keep the Computing Center running, most of that time being responsible for maintaining the hardware and software of the mainframe Xerox Sigma computers. Sigmas sent men to the moon in the late 1960's but took until recently? to be fully phased out of a few power utilities, transportation, and other real-time systems. During the 1997–98 school-year he and a colleague wrote a DOS-based Sigma emulator in GCC which performed four times faster than the original. A JAVA version was well begun during fall 2002. Because Xerox pulled out of the mainframe computer business in 1975, he was very involved with other users of similar computers around the world. Two projects of note were upgrading the FORTRAN compiler to pass the 1977 certification test suite (1988) and walking into NASA after their Sigma 9 was down for 2 weeks and fixing it in 5 hours (June 1987). Since then, he purchased the 80 tons of Sigma gear Andrews collected (1973–93) and has been salvaging it.
From 1993 until 1997 he taught all the mathematics classes in the Math & Science Center, which includes classes beyond AP Calculus AB as appropriate. With the expansion started in 1997, he has team-taught freshmen, sophomore, and seniors sections of 25 each. In 1999–00 and 2004–05 he taught AP Statistics to a small section of our Center juniors or sophomores, most of whom passed the AP exam. This resequenced some otherwise accelerated students back with their colleagues. This year he teaches Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, and AP Calculus BC. He has taught various eduation classes as well.
Keith received his B.S. in Mathematics (1981) and Physics (1988 with honors) from Andrews University with minors in Chemistry and German. He received M.S. degrees also from Andrews University in Computer Information Science (1982) and Interdisciplinary Studies: Physics and Mathematics (1991). During 1991–93 he completed the coursework for his Ph.D. in Physics at Notre Dame while working at Andrews University and being a graduate teaching assistant at Notre Dame (and adding a second story to his house). Teaching well over one hundred bright high-school students left little, if any time for research, so on Friday Aug. 25, 1995 he reviewed for and passed his oral comprehensive examination at Notre Dame and thus completed his third M.S. degree (1996). By August 2002 Keith completed an MAT from Andrews University. On October 1, 2003 Keith restarted Ph.D. research at Notre Dame, successfully defending his disseratation on March 16, 2005. His disseration on the precise measurement of the D1 line in Cesium (10 ppt) is available at http://etd.nd.edu by searching for a dissertation by Calkins. The 2005–06 school-year is his thirteenth with the program, but he remains unclassified in the university structure. Keith received his professional teaching certification in math, computer science, physics, and chemistry during the summer of 2005. He took graduate course work in school administration 2002–03.
Keith's wife Terri (B.A. 1984, M.A. 1986, History, Andrews University) is president of the local library board and is also involved with church work. She works in the university history department as office manager. Her first book Joseph, A Story was published in March 2002 under her maiden name (Terri Fivash) and is available through amazon.com. Her second book Ruth & Boaz was published in March 2005. She just completed the third book in a series of six on King David and his wives. Their son Theron (age 15, ninth/tenth grade) completed freshmen Computer Science, Biology, and Algebra II at the Center last year while completing eighth grade as validictorian at Trinity Lutheran School where son Jared (age 12, seventh grade) also attends. Keith's major hobbies are genealogy and computer related activities. A Geometry textbook, a forty acre Calkins Centennial Farm near Cadillac (Keith's place of birth and within two miles of his father's 160 acres), and remodeling also compete for his time.