Kester, Keith Bruce (October 4, 1939—July 17, 2020)
From Ferguson, Missouri, Keith had an illustrious four years at Grinnell. Academic success: Hermits (freshmen men’s honorary), Friars (senior men’s honorary), Phi Beta Kappa, B.A. with Honors in Chemistry. He also had athletic success as letterman in cross
country and track and member of Men’s Honor G. Keith also was ivolved in campus activities: Board of Religion, member of College’s GE College Bowl Team and Grinnell Players inaugural year.
For his three summers before graduation, Keith stayed in town to do chemistry research with Professors J.D. Danforth and William Nevill. During his first three academic years, he lived in Smith Hall, but for his senior year he moved to West Norris Hall for its
In addition to his chemistry courses, Keith had positive memories of learning how to write in his freshman English course with Professor Herb Prescott, of presenting a scene from Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie with classmates Alida Snyder and Frank Scott for a class with Professor Ned Donahue and American history with Professor Joe Wall.
Nor can it be forgotten that he and classmate Phyllis Ball met and dated at College and got married in August 1966 and had two daughters, Jennifer and Jill. Their marriage, however ended in divorce in 1998.
After Grinnell, Keith went to Harvard, where he earned degrees in chemistry: M.S. in 1963 and Ph.D. in 1967.
Immediately after graduate school, Keith obtained a position in the Chemistry Department of Colorado College, which he filled with distinction until his retirement in 2017 while also teaching an interdisciplinary science course for non-science majors, field courses in astronomy, biology and geology, a course about science and religion and courses in its Feminist and Gender Studies program.
In 2005 Keith fell in love with and married Salwa Hanna, a former student who became a physician specializing in treating headache pain. After his retirement from Colorado College, Keith became the office manager of her Headache Clinic of Denver.
Keith is survived by Salwa, Daughters Jennifer [last name?] and Jill [last name?], son-in-law Frank; his brothers Terry and Rodger; his first wife Phyllis; and eight cousins on his father’s side.
Duane W. Krohnke
