A Tale of Two Roommates
Former Westminster roommates share a special connection: their dog
by Lexie Banks (’12, MACL ’15)
Two men walk into a Harry Potter-themed party. One is dressed as Dumbledore, the other
as Hagrid. This is the story of how Kendall Brannen (’13) and Tradd Gralek (’10) became friends and, a year later, roommates.
Tradd, a pilot in training, was looking for a place where his dog, Koush, would feel
comfortable during his senior year at Westminster. With a vegetable garden, chickens,
and several welcoming roommates, Kendall’s house was the perfect place for them to
call home. In total, they would live together for three years.
“We had this thing that was a spoof on Utah culture called ‘family home evening,’”
Kendall says. “We cooked whatever was ripe in the garden and had a bunch of friends
over.” One of these meals went particularly awry: Koush ate an entire goat cheese
appetizer, and after Tradd returned from work, it became an unpleasant surprise. “Koush
slept in my bed, and in the middle of the night it settled in his stomach,” Tradd
says. “Even having the windows open didn’t help.”
With graduation came the opportunity for Tradd to fly with Grand Canyon Airlines.
After Koush moved several times to stay with various family members, they both knew
it was time for him to have a permanent home where, Tradd says, he could be “adequately
spoiled.” Kendall adopted Koush in the fall of 2015.
They both had different ideas of what habits were acceptable for Koush—particularly
whether the dog was allowed to sleep in the bed. “One day it dawned on me that Koush
would be sleeping by my feet when I fell asleep, but under the covers with his head
on the pillow when I woke up,” Tradd says. Kendall would sometimes put clothes on
Koush, who particularly loved wearing jackets.
While they differ in how they have chosen to raise Koush, these two roommates-turned-dog-dads
were definitely brought together by their four-legged son. Tradd is now a first officer
for Air Wisconsin, allowing him to travel throughout the East Coast and Midwest. Kendall
is a data scientist for Salt Lake County.
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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