Dr. Abbas Kessel was a political science professor at Mankato State University for nineteen years (1966-1985). One monumental moment for Kessel during his tenure at MSU was during the early 1970s after the Kent State shootings when an antiwar protest occurred in downtown Mankato at the site of the Blue Earth County draft board. During the rally, which was becoming ever more hostile, with some intending to burn draft records, Kessel stood and began to speak in order to calm the protestors down, a moment photographed. After these events, the professor continued to engage with students, discussing anti-war sentiments but urging a peaceful approach. His passion for ethics and social welfare was strong and is exemplified in his work. After Kessel retired in 1985, Mankato State University established a lecture series the same year and the Kessel Peace Institute which has been named after him.

In 1984, Dr. Kessel married his long-time friend of thirty years, Dr. Ruth Miner-Kessel. Dr. Miner-Kessel was a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin -Whitewater and taught there from 1958 until 1985. She was an active political advocate with a particular commitment to social justice. In the late 1970s she participated in the Democratic National Midterm Conference as a delegate, and later, she served on the Whitewater city council for six consecutive years. After Dr. Abbas Kessel’s passing, Dr. Ruth Miner-Kessel was heavily involved in his remembrance efforts. She advocated and supported the creation of the Kessel Peace Institute and Kessel Lecture Series.

Biographical note compiled from the collection and these sources: Kessel Peace Institute at Minnesota State University, Mankato Kessel Lectures, Political Science Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato Obituary, Dr. Ruth Miner-Kessel. Nitardy Funeral Homes, 2017. Lass, William E. Minnesota State University, Mankato 1868-2018: A Sesquicentennial History. Mankato: Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2018.