A 1,100 mile solo-paddling journey in an effort to establish a scholarship in my father's name.
First, this is a site to chronicle and follow the effort of friends, family and others to establish a scholarship in my father's memory. This scholarship will be used to fund students dreams of a career in education or engineering through the Swain County Schools Foundation.
I created this idea with 2 main objectives
- Establish a scholarship in my father's name for Swain County students to pursue degrees in education, or engineering.
- Honor the contributions of my father to his family, his country and his professions.
My father, Keete L. Hester, was not only an American military hero, he was my personal hero. He graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1952 and later earned a Masters in Aerospace Engineering. Ever a patriot, he enjoyed a 20 year career in the Air Force which included flying as a Forward Air Control pilot in Vietnam as well as aerospace engineer on various defense systems. During his distinguished military service, he received many awards and medals, but if you asked him about them, he would just say he was doing the job that was asked of him. After retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1976, he was drawn to teaching our youth. A passionate educator, he was the Commander of a Jr. ROTC squadron and a high school math teacher. After earning an additional masters degree in math, he continued to teach for over 15 years. He was a beloved and well respected teacher by students, parents and faculty alike. His strong advocacy of the public schools system and his belief in empowering youth, allowed his students to excel and follow their dreams.
About the Journey:
In honor of my father, and in an effort to raise funds to establish a scholarship to benefit Swain County students, I will be paddling 1,100 miles from Bryson City, NC to Mobile, AL. Starting on the Little Tennessee River system to the Tennessee River near Ft Loudon, TN, then west until the river reaches northeastern Mississippi. At that point I will enter the Tenn-Tom Waterway and begin my southward journey. Later I will enter the Tombigbee River and continue south until I reach journey’s end in Mobile, Alabama. Covering 1,100 miles and averaging approximately 35 miles a day the trip will be completed in in about 30 days.
My hope is that through this journey friends, family and many others will come together to honor my Dad with a symbol of what his life stood for. Service to family, country and community were important to him and a scholarship in his memory would represent that very well.
Come back and check on how the preparations and efforts are going. I'll be posting updates as sponsors, donations and preparations continue. If you'd like to become a sponsor, please email me. If you would like to donate, use the Paypal button to the left. Thanks!
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