In the summer of 1987, when Dr. Ray Kessler arrived on the Sul Ross State Univesity campus, the community was still buzzing about how the legislature finally decided not to close the university. Everyone was enthusiastic about, and proud of, Sul Ross.
Kessler, who will retire at the end of Summer Session I 2013, brought experience in the criminal justice system as both as a trial judge’s law clerk and prosecutor in Pennsylvania, and as a defense attorney in Texas. He had also worked in a juvenile delinquency program. After military service, he earned a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Texas-El Paso, and a Juris Doctor degree from Temple University.
Dr. Ray Kessler
He previously taught at El Paso Community College, Arkansas State University, Rockhurst College and the University of Memphis. Kessler decided to stay at Sul Ross because of its emphasis on teaching and the obvious importance of the university to this isolated, sparsely populated part of Texas.
Kessler is a life-member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Over the years Kessler has co-authored two books, joined two U.S. Supreme Court briefs and has published numerous articles and book reviews. He was the prime mover behind adding an M.S. degree in Criminal Justice and taught the first graduate class. He also taught the first on-line graduate and undergraduate courses. He served as Acting Director of the Sul Ross Law Enforcement Academy and taught both basic and advanced law courses for cadets and area law enforcement personnel.
He has served has served as Department Chair and has taught over 50 different graduate and undergraduate classes. In recent years, he has taught four graduate classes some semesters. Kessler has served as Chair of the Sul Ross Faculty Assembly and as the President of the local chapter of the Texas Faculty Association. Overall, he is probably best known for his mastery of the subjects he teaches and his high academic standards.
Kessler’s main areas of interest are the U.S. Supreme Court, Criminal Procedure, legal liabilities and immunities, the Second and Fourth Amendments and gun control.
He was one of the first faculty members to start a blog. His blog on crime law and justice has a loyal following and he plans to continue it during retirement. Kessler’s hobbies include reading, shooting and jeeping. He is a member of the Big Bend Sportsmen’s Club and has been an occasional volunteer for the Alpine Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.
His only son Vincent is a senior drilling rig supervisor for Exxon-Mobil.
Kessler and his wife, Lin, plan to retire in the Denver, Colo. area.
“I would like to thank all the students who made my time here very worthwhile,” he said.