What’s in a name?
| Some readers have commented that they felt I was a bit pretentious for only listing my initials in the byline of my reviews (D. B. Keele, Jr.) In this case I have a very good reason and a good story to go along with it. My full legal name is D. Broadus Keele, Jr. I don’t have a first name; only an initial! I have however adopted Don as an alias and have been known informally as Don Keele since high school. |
My grandfather was an itinerant (traveling) preacher in the Southern Baptist church. He named my father after a famous preacher in the church in the last half of the nineteenth century: John Albert Broadus (1827-1895). This man earned a Doctorate in Theology and was a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, and hence was known as Dr. John A. Broadus. In honor of this man, my grandfather named my dad Doctor Broadus Keele. Doctor of course is my father’s name not a title.
When I was born, my father wanted to make me a junior and hence wanted to name me Doctor Broadus Keele, Jr. My mother however had other ideas and wanted nothing to do with Doctor as a name. Unknown to my dad, when she filled in my name on my birth certificate, she left off the Doctor and wrote D. Broadus Keele, Jr., hence I only have an initial as a first name! So you might ask, why am I a junior if may name is not the same as my dad? That’s just the way it is! – D. B. Keele, Jr.
Doctor Broadus Keele, Sr. looking at picture of Dr. John Albert Broadus (Circa 1975, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY)
Dr. John Albert Broadus (1827–1895) was one of the most influential Southern Baptist ministers and scholars of the nineteenth century. A gifted preacher, teacher, and writer, he is best known as a founding professor of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where his work helped shape generations of Baptist pastors. Broadus earned widespread respect for his deep commitment to biblical preaching, most notably through his enduring book On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, which became a standard text in seminaries around the world. Combining intellectual rigor with pastoral warmth, Broadus left a lasting legacy in Baptist life, homiletics, and theological education.
Keele Heritage
| The Keele family’s earliest documented ancestor in this line, Richard S. Keele (born 1757), lived during the American Revolutionary period, a time that shaped both his generation and the young nation itself. Following the war, he joined the steady wave of settlers who moved south and west into the Tennessee frontier, seeking land, opportunity, and permanence. His son, John S. Keele, belonged to the generation that helped transform that frontier into stable, organized communities in Middle Tennessee. John was an active member of the early Baptist Church, an institution that served not only religious needs but also functioned as a vital center of social life, moral guidance, and mutual support for frontier families. John’s son, William S. Keele (born 1813), represents a clear bridge between the family’s Virginia origins and its permanent settlement in Tennessee. Born in Virginia and relocating to Tennessee as a young man, William raised his family during a period of rapid regional growth, agricultural development, and expanding transportation networks. His descendants remained firmly rooted in Middle Tennessee for generations, contributing to the continuity and stability of the region. William’s son, Thomas S. Keele (born 1838), lived through the Civil War and the difficult years of Reconstruction that followed, raising his family during a time of profound national division and recovery. One of his sons, Marion H. Keele (1869–1949), was born just after the war and carried the Keele family line into the modern twentieth century. Marion’s descendants include Doctor Broadus Keele, followed by D. Broadus Keele, Jr., continuing a family legacy that spans colonial America, the frontier era, and the modern age. |