Donald Kea 58C 60T and his wife, Mary Dale
Donald Kea 58C 60T decided to make a gift to Candler while he was still a student at Candler. There was only one problem: He didn’t have any money. In fact, he wasn’t even sure how he would pay for theology school. “My father promised he’d take care of college, but that was it!’” Kea says.
When graduated from Emory College and started attending Candler in spring 1958, he met with Helen Stowers in the financial aid office. “I told her my situation—that I needed some scholarship aid and a way to earn living expenses. Amazingly, at the beginning of every academic quarter, she came up with a scholarship/work plan that would cover all of the tuition, as well as books and other expenses.”
The generosity of others made his ministerial education possible. “I got through my whole seminary experience and didn't owe a penny,” he says, “I vowed that if I ever got to a position where I'm able to give back and repay what was done for me, that I would certainly do it.”
Recently, Kea reflected on his promise to pay it forward by giving back to Candler, a place that came to his aid and meant so much to him years ago. The Keas had some shares of Home Depot stock they acquired more than 30 years ago. “We never cashed out,” he says. “What started as a modest investment grew into something substantial over the years.”
With these shares in mind, he contacted the Emory Office of Gift Planning to discuss his options, and discovered he could use the stock to fund a charitable gift annuity while receiving a tax benefit. Kea wants his gift to support Candler students who—like him—need financial support to follow their calling. “I want it to go for scholarships. No strings attached,” he says.
Kea’s wife, Mary Dale, shares his commitment to Candler, even though she graduated from Randolph Macon Women’s College in Virginia. “I feel like an honorary alumna,” she says. She used to take the train to Georgia to visit her fiancé at Candler, where she would often sit in on his classes. “I majored in religion and philosophy, so I had studied many of the subjects they were discussing. It was fun and edifying.”
Coincidentally, they graduated on the same day—he from seminary and she from college. “Then off he went to the Methodist Annual Conference to find out where we would be appointed,” she says, “and I went home and got ready to get married the next week. Which we did.”
The newlyweds moved to Columbus, Georgia, for Don’s first ministerial appointment as Associate Pastor at St. Luke UMC. This was followed by eight appointments in the South Georgia Conference. Mary Dale recalls, “Our second appointment was to a three-church rural circuit. I had never seen an outhouse and had never been to a church building that didn’t have indoor plumbing, so it was a learning experience!”
Candler prepared Kea for a 41-year ministry, including a five-year term as District Superintendent of the Macon District. “The people who attend Candler predominantly are following a call to serve God,” Kea says. “Candler trains people for a life of service and sacrifice.”
“This is why we felt compelled to share our story,” Mary Dale explains. “To let people know that if it's possible for us to do, it's possible for just about anybody.”
Learn how you can make a difference by making a planned gift to Emory. It's easier than you think. Please call the Emory Office of Gift Planning at 404.727.8875.