Keasey Memorial Scholarship Fund

“Jack of all trades” is a phrase that describes Harry Keasey, who was born and still lives in nearby Howe, Indiana. His experiences have been many and varied, but they all fit well within his definition of the term “education”.

Following high school graduation, Harry enrolled at Manchester College and later Ball State University, studying industrial arts, mathematics and social studies, and earning his teaching credentials. Next came seven years of teaching in several northern Indiana high schools. Then, after returning to Howe to care for his parents on the family farm, he honed his skills as a craftsman/handyman, an interest he has maintained in his later years by remodeling his house from basement to attic.

“I’ve got a master’s degree in quite a few trades–education, carpentry, cooking–over the years,” Harry said as he recalled his background and experiences. “My definition of education is of different,” he went on. “There are some things you need formal education for, and there are others where practical experience is the best training, but both ways are education.”

Although he has had only limited contact with Goshen College, Harry has demonstrated his support for CC and its students by establishing the Keasey Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of his parents Harley and Grace Wolf Keasey. He earmarked his gift for the college’s endowment fund, noting that “money safely cared for is very important to- a college; that way, anything unexpected that happens along the way can be taken care of.” The earnings from Harry’s contribution to the college are being awarded through this scholarship each year to deserving GC students.