the last family picture of the kastens that includes dan, susan, amy, and jenny along with amy and jenny's families.
WHY I GIVE
why i give
Susan Kasten
Dan Kasten did not know he had an interview for a teaching
position at Greenhill School until his wife, Susan, told him the day before. Susan had answered a phone call from Phil Foote, former Greenhill Head of School, while Dan was out of town. Excited
about the prospect of visiting Dallas and going to Six Flags Over Texas, she scheduled an interview for Dan.
The day before the interview, Susan finally told Dan that he had an interview at Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas. He responded, "Well, this is going to be an interesting day."
The Kastens, including their young daughters Amy and Jenny, left their home in Louisiana at 5:00 AM to get to Dallas in time for
the interview. The day trip to Dallas turned into four days: On the first day, Dan interviewed on campus; on the second day, their
daughters took the Greenhill entrance exam; on the third day,
they found a home; and on the fourth day, they finally made their way to Six Flags Over Texas.
Dan, Amy, and Jenny started at Greenhill in the summer of 1982.
Amy graduated in 1996, and Jenny followed a year later in 1997. In
2014, Amy returned to campus as an Upper School history teacher. Susan recalls, "Dan was bursting with happiness and pride that
“ Second to his wife and daughters, my
father loved Greenhill. This was a place that gave him an intellectual and spiritual community that he had always wanted. I have never met anyone who loved their job more than Dan Kasten did. Giving back to the school is a way of thanking the community for the love it gave my father and our whole family.” – Dr. Amy Bresie ’96
This year, Susan became a member of the Fulton Society by
making a planned gift to Greenhill and listing the school as a
beneficiary of her estate. She said, "Nothing would make Dan
happier than to support Greenhill School. He never asked me to, but I know him well, and this is what he would have wanted me
to do." Her gift will benefit the General Endowments for Financial Aid and Faculty Salaries.
Amy chose to teach at Greenhill. When Amy returned to Greenhill, her son was enrolled in the Child Development Center. We had
three generations of Kastens on Greenhill soil at once—it was a special time." Dan Kasten retired in 2016 after teaching English for 34 years at
Greenhill. He passed away in June 2017 from esophageal cancer.
His service was held in Rose Hall in the Marshall Family Performing Arts Center at Greenhill.
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We welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your Greenhill experiences and about your support for the School. Please contact Aaron White, Major Gifts & Planned Giving Officer, or visit www.greenhill.org/giving/planned-giving for more information!
