Environment, Climate, and Conservation Sciences

Support the Legacy of Dr. Don Kelso

Learn about Dr. Don Kelso’s legacy and find out how you can help preserve his legacy. In 2021, the College of Science launched an initiative to raise funds to build an extended pier for teaching and research and contribute to the health of the Potomac River while honoring one of Mason’s most revered professors. In 2024, after three years of working with various delays related to permitting, licensing, and dredging, as well as steadily escalating cost estimates, the Kelso Pier Committee decided to use the funds raised to purchase a boat that would facilitate the research projects, particularly in the lower, more estuarine part of the Potomac and “gent more students on the water” – always a mission for Don.

Join us in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Don Kelso with your donation to the Kelso Marine Ecology Research and Teaching Fund.

About the Campaign

Dr. Donald Kelso was Mason’s first marine & freshwater ecologist, joining in 1970 what is now the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. Kelso’s legacy includes a lasting impact on many students, who hold him in the highest regard.

In 2017, fulfilling a long-held aspiration, George Mason University opened an exceptional facility in Belmont Bay along the shores of the Occoquan River, a tributary of the Potomac, near Woodbridge, Virginia. Home to the College of Science’s Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC), the Potomac Science Center (PSC) is a place for environmental education, scientific research, and community outreach and connection.

Unfortunately, the Occoquan River is extremely shallow in front of the PSC, thus Mason’s premiere environmental and marine ecology facility is not accessible by boat, despite its extraordinary riverfront location. What’s more, aquatic research activities that can be conducted from the small dock in front of the facility are extremely limited in scope and by the number of participants the dock can accommodate.

In 2021, the College of Science launched an initiative to raise funds to build a pier at the PSC in Don’s honor.  Over the past three years, we have encountered various delays related to permitting, licensing, and dredging, as well as steadily escalating cost estimates. To expedite opportunities to (at least partially) fulfill Don’s vision and legacy, the “Kelso Pier Committee” recently decided to use the funds raised to date to purchase a boat that would facilitate the research projects, particularly in the lower, more estuarine part of the Potomac and “get more students on the water”—always a mission for Don.

Campaign Updates

September 10, 2024 Update:

Mourning (and Celebrating) Dr. Don Kelso

Mourning (and Celebrating) Dr. Don Keslo

Dear Friends and Alumni,
I’m writing to share the sad news that Dr. Don Kelso passed away Saturday, August 31, 2024. As many of you know, Don was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about two decades ago and retired from Mason in 2005.

So many of us have our “Kelso” stories and memories. Don was my mentor when I arrived at Mason in 1980. And even before that Don had attracted a cadre of graduate and undergraduate students already working to document the natural resources of the tidal Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. Together, Don and I were a dynamic team that had many research projects over the years including the continuing Gunston Cove Study that we co-launched in 1984. Over 100 students have received training in aquatic research participating in that study. Don was also one of the original members of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and of the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC).

Over the years, Don and I worked tirelessly to create a field station for freshwater and estuarine ecology research; our dream was finally realized in an even greater way than we could have envisioned when the Potomac Science Center (PSC) opened in 2017 to house PEREC.

In 2021, we launched an initiative to raise funds to build a pier at the PSC in Don’s honor.  Over the past three years, we have encountered various delays related to permitting, licensing, and dredging, as well as steadily escalating cost estimates. To expedite opportunities to (at least partially) fulfill Don’s vision and legacy, the “Kelso Pier Committee” recently decided to use the funds raised to date to purchase a boat that would facilitate the research projects, particularly in the lower, more estuarine part of the Potomac and “get more students on the water”—always a mission for Don.

We have identified the perfect pre-owned boat and hope to complete the purchase in the next few weeks.  We still need a minimum of $25K to fund the purchase of the boat and related expenses.  I am offering a 1:2 match, meaning I will contribute $100 for every $200 donated. Your donation in Don’s honor will help fund this research vessel. Any additional funds raised will go toward the pier which will take more time to achieve.  

We are planning a future event to celebrate the life of Dr. Don Kelso, as well as—with your help—a dedication of the boat!

On behalf of George Mason College of Science, the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, the faculty and students at the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, and the friends and family of Dr. Don Kelso thank you for your ongoing support and friendship.

Sincerely,

R. Chris Jones
Tenured Full Professor, Department of Environmental Science and Policy
Director, Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center
George Mason University

Updated 1/30/2022

The initial step, a feasibility study, was funded by the College and is nearing completion. Preliminary results are encouraging and suggest that a fixed dock of sufficient length can be constructed along PEREC’s shoreline that would accommodate the University’s boats, temporary docking for other boats conducting aquatic research on the local rivers, as well as groups of students from a variety of Mason courses and local K-12 students.  Though technically feasible to construct the dock, the cost is expected to be significant, with most of the funding provided through donations and grants.

Celebrating Dr. Don Kelso

In May 2021 the College of Science hosted an intimate reception for Dr. Don Kelso, his family, his former students and environmental science faculty. See pictures from this reunion event below!

Support the Keslo Ecology Research and Teaching Fund (formerly the Don Kelso Pier Fund)

Your support of the Kelso Marine Ecology Research and Teaching Fund will provide opportunities for impactful research and teaching for generations to come. Donate now to make a difference.

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