When Dr. A. Dean Kesler ’62 reflects on his years as a student, the three professors who made up the chemistry department at the time stand out, especially Dr. Schuyler Miller. According to Dr. Kesler, Dr. Miller used to joke that he could not teach in Hanover County because he had never taken any education courses, but as alumni have shared time and time again, Dr. Miller, a fixture of the RMC chemistry department for 52 years, was a remarkable teacher and made a lasting impact on many students’ lives, including Dr. Kesler’s.

Dr. Kesler has been an active and loyal supporter of the College for over thirty years, but he really started focusing in on his philanthropy at Randolph-Macon in 2010, when he made an early and generous gift to support a new scholarship in Dr. Schuyler Miller’s name. Dr. Kesler’s personal approach to giving is to focus his time, energy and gifts on programs that benefit and support youth. Randolph-Macon certainly aligns with this priority and has been number one on his list for charitable contributions for years. Since 2010, Dr. Kesler has leant his support repeatedly to the latest project and most pressing need each year, supporting in a meaningful way the new science building, Brock Hall, being a lead supporter and cheerleader of the College’s Equestrian Program, and most recently he made a leadership gift to the new nursing building, Payne Hall.

Dr. Kesler’s generosity is far reaching and each gift he has made has been notable, worthwhile, and also very personal. As a chemistry major at RMC, Dr. Kesler remarked that he took enough biology to get into Medical School, but his passion was chemistry. As a successful OB/GYN for over 30 years in Sanford, North Carolina, Dr. Kesler’s continued interest in the sciences and medicine made supporting both Brock Hall and Payne Hall a natural fit. His wife, a passionate equestrian before her death, contributed to his interest in and generous support of our Equestrian Program and the Randolph-Macon Equestrian Center, to which he has made multiple gifts in her memory since the program’s inception. He is also a regular and generous supporter of the Randolph-Macon Annual Fund and the President’s Discretionary Fund, which he supports in gratitude for President Lindgren’s leadership.

“Supporting Randolph-Macon is easy; when I think about the things that have had a significant impact on my life and existence, Randolph-Macon is at the top of the list. We all have to give back or pay it forward – Randolph-Macon provides an exceptional education and produces high quality graduates, and to keep that going and growing, we all need to contribute, do our part, to give back to a place that has provided so much meaning to us so that it can continue to provide meaning to others.”

Now that Dr. Kesler is retired, he enjoys having the opportunity to return to campus more frequently; he actively participates in the Boydton Society and can regularly be spotted checking in on things at the Randolph-Macon Equestrian Center.