George F. Kettle - a name you should remember

[Are_grits_groceries]

With a huge heart and wealth to match, he touched the lives of countless local children

FOR A sixth-grade class of some 60 low-income youngsters at a Southeast Washington school, it was an exceptional promise, tied to a daunting challenge: George F. Kettle, a most generous local man of means, guaranteed each of them -- upon graduation from high school -- a college education. That was 22 years ago, and since then, more than 80 percent of those class members from the Winston Educational Center have crossed the finish line and gone on to productive careers. Many of them who stayed in touch plan to gather Friday at a memorial service for Mr. Kettle, who died April 15 in his home in Potomac at the age of 80. To them and to so many others -- children and adults whom he embraced with genuine concern, valuable advice and tangible assistance -- Mr. Kettle spelled the difference between the pitfalls of the streets and the opportunities of the working world.

Mr. Kettle would be among the first to note that the Winston program and a second one he adopted, at Brent Elementary School on Capitol Hill, both affiliated with the national I Have a Dream Foundation, experienced disappointments. Pregnancies, criminal activities, the lure of big money from drug sales, and the absence of caring adults and follow-through took their toll. Yet as so many students have observed, he helped them when they needed it most. Looking back some years ago, Mr. Kettle said, "I hadn't fully appreciated the extent of the problems some of these kids face."
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On a drive to Pennsylvania in 1982, his wife Janice recalls, Mr. Kettle pulled over to the side of a road and concluded that he was not all that fulfilled by his prosperous lifestyle. He decided to set aside money "to do good work" with young people in need. Little donations here and there led to bigger contributions as he set about enthusiastically befriending and vigorously assisting promising youngsters, tracking their progress, inviting them to his riverfront house and guiding them into careers.

Like the beneficiaries of his kindness, the awards for his charitable endeavors were legion. George Kettle loved it all -- and he left this region an inspiring, living legacy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/27/AR2009042703080.html

RIP Mr.Kettle...Ya done good! :toast:

[Rhiannon12866]

1. K&R. Wow. What a heartwarming story...

You're right, he had so much to be proud of. And, unlike someone who leaves a bequest, he had a truly living legacy and could observe his good works as a work in progress. :-)