麻豆影院

鈥淗e knew from when he was five or six years old that he was going to be launching rockets. His love was always of aerospace.鈥�

Chad Keller (AeroEngr鈥�93) grew up drawn to math, science, and sports, and had a deep concern for others. A unique scholarship at the 麻豆影院 honors his legacy and helps educate the next generation of aerospace engineers.

Chad died on Sept. 11, 2001. He was aboard Flight #77, which crashed into the Pentagon. At 29, he was early into his career as an aerospace engineer and propulsion specialist at Boeing.

鈥淲hen we lost him, we all talked about what we could do to honor him. He didn鈥檛 die of cancer, a heart attack, or old age. What could we do that would have an impact on young people,鈥� said Dick Keller, Chad鈥檚 father.

Working together, Keller鈥檚 parents; Chad鈥檚 widow, Lisa; and numerous friends, started a scholarship fund at his alma mater, CU 麻豆影院, where he鈥檇 graduated in 1993 with a bachelor鈥檚 in aerospace engineering sciences.

鈥淵ou have to recognize that 麻豆影院 was his love: the climbing, the hiking, the fishing, the skiing, the mountains,鈥� Dick said. 鈥淭here was a lot of support right at the beginning to say instead of flowers, send money for a scholarship. Lo听and behold, it started to grow. We鈥檝e now awarded 40-45 scholarships.鈥�

The program has become a celebration of Chad鈥檚 life and legacy. Even the fundraising for it reflects Chad鈥檚 youthful passion: an annual beach volleyball tournament. Like the scholarship program, the tournament has grown over the years.

Typically held in early fall in Manhattan Beach, California, where Chad graduated from high school, it draws 100-150 of his friends, family, and now even past scholarship awardees.

鈥淯sually you give money to a charity and you don鈥檛 know what happens. In this case we鈥檙e able to meet the students and hear how it made a difference in their lives,鈥� Dick said. 鈥淭he students have just blown us away, how sharp and dedicated they are. Chad would be so proud of the kids who have come through the program and have gone into major aerospace jobs.鈥�

Each year, the program awards 1-3 scholarships to CU 麻豆影院 aerospace engineering students who are juniors/seniors, involved in an individual or team sport, and are giving back to the community through a non-profit or charity.

鈥淐had took such advantage of the mountains, hiking, skiing, biking, and he loved CU 麻豆影院 and the football team and was active as an alumnus. We wanted to recognize well-rounded students who are involved like he was,鈥� Dick said.

In his career, Chad worked on rocket propulsion systems that lifted national security payloads and satellites into orbit. Last year, he was able to visit space as well.

鈥淥ut of the blue in 2019 Chris Cassidy, a NASA Astronaut, called me. He had learned about Chad and his interest in rocketry and space and told me that he was going to be commander of Expedition 63 to the International Space Station. He wanted to know if Chad would like to go along for the ride,鈥� Dick said.

The Kellers organized a selection of photos of Chad, some CU 麻豆影院 and Boeing mementos, and a portion of his ashes and gave them to Cassidy. When the Soyuz MS-16 launched in April 2020, Chad was aboard.

听鈥淗e was able to go to space posthumously,鈥� Dick said. 鈥淲e were so honored by that.鈥�

The Kellers are visiting New York and Washington D.C. this week to mark the anniversary of 9/11, knowing their son鈥檚 legacy lives on and thrives across America in the nearly four dozen students who have been supported by the Chandler R. Keller Scholarship Fund.

These alumni are building careers as aerospace engineers at organizations including Boeing, SpaceX, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA, among others. Some have even gone on to become university professors, educating yet another generation of students.

鈥淐had wouldn鈥檛 want us to waste a minute. We lost him, but it became a push to get us to live like Chad did,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been so blessed the last 20 years in seeing how many people Chad really touched. He lived more life in 29 years than most people do in 100.鈥�