Written by Stephanie Gordon
Dean Melchi, ’74, hails from Fort Wayne, Indiana, but Hillsdale, Michigan, is now home for him and his wife, Kathryn, ’76. Dean and Kathryn spent several years in different areas of the United States, but the small-town life called them back to Hillsdale nearly a decade ago.
The economics and business administration major was introduced to the College through his older brother, Lee, ’71, who played football for the Chargers. “I wanted to play football, but decided with some injuries that I shouldn’t,” Dean recalled.
Instead, Dean opted to join Hillsdale’s club lacrosse team, and he was also a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity. “Both were great bonding experiences,” said Dean. “But then I met my wife. That was the best thing that happened to me at Hillsdale.”
After his graduation, Dean moved to Detroit to work for a law firm. He originally thought law school would be in his future, but he quickly determined that working in the legal field was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
In 1976, Dean and Kathryn married and moved back to his hometown of Fort Wayne. They had three children together. “We had a number of Hillsdale friends in Fort Wayne,” Dean said. “We had our children in playgroups with other alumni’s children.”
Dean quickly got involved in the commercial real estate business, and he’s been in the business ever since. Dean and Kathryn lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for 10 years, and Columbus, Ohio, for 30 years. He sold his company several years ago, but still lends his expertise in a part-time remote capacity.
While Dean and Kathryn were living in Columbus, they played with the idea of moving back to Hillsdale. “We visit Hillsdale friends every Memorial Day, and Kathryn and I would drive around the Hillsdale area to see what was for sale,” said Dean. “We happened to find a house that went up for sale, and it quickly became our home.”
For the Melchis, their home is a mecca for their three children and ten grandchildren. “We live on the lake, so we spend a lot of time on the water,” Dean smiled. “I spend a lot of time pulling our grandchildren on tubes.”
But, that’s not all the Melchis do with their time. They stay busy by attending their grandchildren’s football, field hockey, and volleyball games and cross country meets. They are active in their church, St. Anthony’s, and Dean sits on the Hillsdale College Alumni Board. “Kathryn is involved with just about everything around Hillsdale,” he laughed.
Together, Dean and Kathryn are active supporters of the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center. “I’ve been a small-game hunter all my life,” Dean said. “After our youngest got married and moved away, Kathryn said she wanted to learn to shoot, so she did. She was starting to have some success with a shotgun, and next thing I know, she’s calling me, asking to sponsor a shooting station. I told her, ‘all right.’”
Their sponsored shotgun station can be found at the Halter Center. Dean and Kathryn host the shotgun team at their home every autumn for a team-building event. They’ve also known Head Shotgun Coach Jordan Hintz for many years. “We try to support Jordan as much as we can,” Dean said. “We also funded a partial scholarship at the College for a shotgun student.”
The Melchis’ devotion to their family, alma mater, community, and shooting sports is evident in all that they do. “We really enjoy being here,” Dean concluded. “There’s beauty to small-town living, and Hillsdale is just that.”
Stephanie Gordon, a lifelong Hillsdale native, is the managing editor of Virtue and Valor: The Official Blog of Hillsdale College. She is married to chiropractor, Dr. Matt Gordon, and has three children – Eloise, Flora, and Jack. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys paleo baking, floating on Baw Beese Lake, and breaking a sweat at the gym.
Published in October 2024
