NPA

hkessler@mywakulla.com

Term Ends: 2016

By sharing some of my life experiences, I hope you may better get to know me.

I share a wonderful life with my wife, Anne Van Meter. We enjoy gardening and raising chickens. At times we have had turkeys, geese and guinea hens. Anne loves flowers and is always planting a new rose, tree or new seasonal planting that make our home welcome to wildlife. We have plenty of wax myrtle that provide both shelter and food for the many birds that visit us. Gardening is a hobby Anne and I share and enjoy together. We also enjoy volunteering in our community.

I practiced orthopedic surgery for 28 years. When Wakulla County had a physician in its County Health Center, I volunteered and treated the patients with orthopedic problems. Now, I volunteer at two clinics in Tallahassee that see patients from Leon, Wakulla and other surrounding counties. One clinic cares for people who cannot afford to pay for medical care and the other clinic cares for children with special orthopedic needs. I have always enjoyed treating and interacting with children.

I lived the first years of my life with my mother and my maternal grandparents. My dad was absent for the beginning of those years as he was fighting in WW II under the command of General Patton. I received elementary and high school public education.

My two brothers and I grew up in an area that was very similar to the marshlands of Wakulla County. My dad still lives in the same house we moved into when I was in the sixth grade. I had the unique opportunity to be able to spend a lot of my early summers visiting my paternal grandparents and experiencing their small farm. I grew up with a love for nature and spent most of those days exploring the creeks and woodland around the farm.

I also enjoyed earning my own spending money. I started many small businesses as a teenager and as an adult. After public school, I earned a B.S. degree in Chemistry and a Masters degree in Education. I taught for three years in three different states and then went on to medical school and earned my M.D. degree.

After spending the last 17 years of my private practice in Sarasota, Florida, Anne and I bought a home and moved to Panacea. We selected Wakulla County as our home because of its unique and relatively unspoiled mix of natural wonder, wildlife, waters, and friendly people. Being a reasonable distance from a larger metropolitan area, Tallahassee, was an added bonus. My concern for preserving Wakulla County’s natural assets and my interest in fostering an open responsible government for all citizens led me to serve two terms as a Wakulla County Commissioner.

Anne has been the treasurer for more than 6 years for the Citizens for Humane Animal Treatment (CHAT) and enjoys her volunteer work, keeping the financial books in order and finding homes for the animals from the adoption center. We both are members of the Friends of the Library and enjoy the Iris Garden Club, Native Plant Society, Friends of Wakulla Springs and the Historical Society. We enjoyed years of running and bicycling together and believe expanding and developing trails in Wakulla County for this purpose is important. We are grateful for the many wonderful friends we have made in Wakulla County.

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