Ashby Denoon '66 and Jonathan Keefe '03

Two investors in Kenyon’s future

The first thing you might notice upon meeting Ashby E.A. Denoon, a 1966 graduate of Kenyon, is that he has cerebral palsy. Chat with him for a minute, though, and you will realize that this is a very funny, intelligent, and successful fellow who has more than met the challenges of a lifetime disability. But he would like nothing better than to help make sure that, in the future, traumatic brain injuries can be cured, not just accommodated.

A native of Wycombe, Pennsylvania, Denoon was an English major at the College, where he was a four-year member of the Collegian staff. He went on to earn a master's degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and then became an accountant for the U.S. government. Working in Washington, D.C., for the General Services Administration, Denoon knows what happens to our tax dollars. He also knows the stock market, in which he has been investing since the late 1950s.

He considers creation of the Ashby Denoon Scholarship to be another one of his investments. Each year since 1999, a student with an interest in neuroscience has been able to come to Kenyon because of Denoon's gift.

"Obviously," he says, "I have an interest in supporting research in brain injuries." With a laugh, he adds, "I won't call myself a victim, but I'm certainly an unwilling participant."

Asked about his decision to establish the scholarship, Denoon downplays his generosity: "All I did was unload on the College a stock that was dropping, and then I got to write it off on my taxes, that's all," he says with another laugh.

Whatever the motivation for Denoon's investment, M. Jonathan Keefe '03, this year's recipient, is happy with the returns. "The scholarship was one of the primary reasons I came to Kenyon," he says. "Coming from a working-class background, the scholarship completely made it possible for me even to consider the College as one of my options."

Denoon is happy to hear it. "One of my main goals in establishing the scholarship was to bring great people to Kenyon who otherwise would not have come--especially the sort of student who might normally end up in a much larger institution."

Keefe confirms that without Denoon's scholarship he would likely have spent his college career in a very different setting. "One of the primary reasons that I chose Kenyon over either Duke or Vanderbilt is my interest in the humanities, particularly in writing and the media," he says. "I didn't feel I would be able to pursue those interests at a larger, research-driven university, where, as a neuroscience major, I would be expected to focus very narrowly on just a few topics.

"I recently had the pleasure of conducting a brief interview with one of my true idols, neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, a few days before his recent lecture in Rosse Hall," says Keefe, who is editor-in-chief of Hika, the student literary journal. If not for the Denoon Scholarship, I certainly never would have had such a perfect chance to bring together my interest in writing with my interest in neuroscience." Keefe relished the chance to thank Denoon in person at this year's Scholarship Day in late September. "It never even occurred to me that I would eventually have the opportunity to meet Mr. Denoon, but I liked the idea of having a name and a face to associate with the gift," says Keefe, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, who plans to study to be a child psychiatrist after graduation.

"Jonathan is a smart kid, a good choice," says Denoon. "I like that he can write and that he has interests beyond science. I like his breadth."

Keefe adds that he was impressed by his fellow scholarship recipients. "Looking around the room on Scholarship Day, it was obvious that a good percentage of the College's most high-profile students were represented," he says. "The students who receive endowed scholarships are more than pulling their weight in terms of making active contributions to the Kenyon community. So we really are a good investment."

There's that word again.

Denoon puts it succinctly. "I was an English major who ended up in accounting," he says. "I hardly know what a neuron is, but I want someone to learn how to revivify dead brain cells. It's up to people like Jonathan to figure out such things, and I wanted to do something to help."

Asked what he and Denoon talked about at the Scholarship Day reception and luncheon, Keefe says, "What struck me most about my conversations with Mr. Denoon was the genuine affection he has for the College and for the time he spent here. It definitely has motivated me to make the best of the year I have left at Kenyon."

After his graduation in May 2003, Keefe will no doubt be missed on the Hill. But, thanks to Ashby Denoon, another talented neuroscience student will take his place at the College.

-Phil Brooks