Casting Hope: How This Aggie Aims to Reel in a Cure for Cancer

The butterfly effect is a powerful concept to grasp; one small action setting off a chain of events with far-reaching impact. For Frank Krekeler III ’90 ’92, it’s more than a theory; it’s the rhyme and reason to his very life. Unpredictable in the moment yet strangely orderly in hindsight, every gesture feels connected by unseen purpose.

As a teenager adjusting to his new life in Houston, Krekeler admits he wasn’t always on the straight and narrow. That changed when his father, Frank Krekeler Jr., introduced him to fishing at 16 years old. “I fell in love,” Krekeler said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but my dad was keeping me out of trouble. I couldn’t stay out late on Friday nights because we’d be casting lines early Saturday morning.” Krekeler described his father in many ways, with “friend” and “role model” at the top of the list.

Long before the father and son were ready, cancer caused a premature end to the fishing adventures they had grown to love. “My dad was diagnosed in 2004 and fought hard until his passing in 2009,” Krekeler shared, adding that while his mother received her doctorate in education from Texas A&M, his father, who earned his degrees elsewhere, is remembered as an honorary Aggie. “Dad attended the Bonfire tribute service with me and was so moved by the camaraderie on campus. He said that if he could do it all over again, he’d go to Texas A&M.” In fact, Krekeler Jr. and his wife, Constance, retired and moved to College Station in 2000—officially making Aggieland their home.
 

Krekeler inherited many of his father’s values, with generosity being one of them. While working full time as a human resources leader for Braskem, the market leader in North America polypropylene, he dedicates his personal time and resources to transporting cancer patients from the airport to their treatments at MD Anderson in the Houston area. “After hearing their stories, I realized how necessary it was for more research to be done to combat this horrible disease,” he said. “Just a few days after that thought crossed my mind, the Texas A&M Foundation contacted me. It felt like divine intervention.”

Following a visit to the Texas A&M Health Science Center and a conversation with the Foundation’s planned giving team, Krekeler was fully committed. With the help of his financial advisor, he made the Texas A&M Foundation a beneficiary of his IRA. “It was an incredibly seamless process,” he said. “My advisor worked closely with the Foundation to ensure everything was set up properly. I knew this was the right step, not just for me but also for the lives this research could touch.”
 

Krekeler’s gift will support fellowships for graduate students at Texas A&M Health who are dedicated to cancer research. His hope is that his contribution might one day spark change that alters the trajectory of someone else’s life. “You think about a 20-year-old newly diagnosed with cancer, someone who has their whole life ahead of them. What if they’re the next president? The next person to change the world?”

Krekeler’s belief that even the smallest action can create lasting impact is what drives his commitment. For him, the decision to give wasn’t just personal — it was purposeful. By making the Foundation a beneficiary of his IRA, Krekeler finds peace in knowing his passion areas will be supported. A father’s legacy is said to live on through his son, but the Krekeler men will both have their legacy rooted in Aggieland. His father gave him the gift of direction through fishing. Now, he’s casting a lifeline to others and continuing his own butterfly effect, one life at a time.