Keydet Club Scholarship Banquet Highlights Generosity

On the evening of Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, a large crowd gathered in Marshall Hall on the VMI post for the VMI Keydet Club’s signature annual event: The Keydet Club Scholarship Banquet. Held in gratitude for the many donors whose generosity makes athletic scholarships possible, the event allows donors to enjoy a meal and fellowship with their cadet scholarship recipients. This year, the banquet drew approximately 450 attendees, including 250 cadet-athletes, along with Keydet Club Board of Governors members; Jamaal Walton ’07, VMI director of intercollegiate athletics; and Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87, superintendent.

After a welcome from Andrew Deal ’12, VMI Keydet Club chief operating officer and Alumni Agencies chief development officer, Kelly Sweppenhiser ’06, Keydet Club president, addressed the guests.

“The Keydet Club is truly the heartbeat of VMI athletics,” Sweppenhiser noted. “Through the generosity of so many of you in this room, the Keydet Club is able to provide the resources behind scholarship operations and facilities. In 2026 alone, the Keydet Club will provide over $7 million dollars in scholarship support to over 300 cadet-athletes, not to mention the significant contributions to various operational facility improvements all across post. … The bottom line is this: Behind every NCAA sport are many humble Keydet Club donors who are leading VMI athletics.”

Sweppenhiser, a standout baseball player for the Keydets during his cadetship, recalled that he only came to VMI because he received a scholarship provided by Bill Paulette ’69. “Now, as a free-swinging third baseman from rural Pennsylvania, I never would have set foot in Lexington, Virginia, in my life, if it wasn’t for Bill Paulette’s generosity,” Sweppenhiser related. “He chose to invest in VMI athletics, and his decision changed my life forever.”

Now in his second year at the helm of “Keydet nation,” Walton took the podium next to lead a round of applause for coaches, administrators, and athletic staff before recognizing the accomplishments of cadet-athletes, 139 of whom hold rank or another leadership position in the Corps of Cadets during the 2025–26 academic year.

In his remarks, Walton emphasized the importance of cadets building relationships with their scholarship donors. “These are opportunities you have right now that you should take full advantage of, getting to know that person and not just writing a letter,” Walton counseled. “Tell them what your dreams are and what your hopes are because those are the people who want to help you in life. I encourage you to continue to build those relationships and just know they’re very important.”

Like Walton, Furness encouraged cadet-athletes to take a wide-angle lens view of what’s happening in their lives and be grateful for the donors making their VMI educations possible.

“Hopefully, you all are thanking the people who are providing these resources because they’re transforming your lives,” the superintendent stated. “You may not know that all the time. You may not realize what VMI is doing for you. … When it’s happening to you, when you’re young, sometimes you don’t appreciate it. You don’t really see the forest for the trees, where you’re going to be in 30 to 40 years. None of this is possible without the Keydet Club, without the donors who provide the resources and allow us to provide a Division I athletic program.”

Furness also spoke to the unique demands of being a cadet-athlete. “It’s 20 extra hours or more a week that’s piled on top of an experience that is demanding, not easy, exacting, unrelenting, and we don’t lower training,” he stated. “It’s a significant load, extra load, that you’re bearing for the Institute.”

It’s a path fraught with obstacles, Furness acknowledged, but one that produces an end result that will bear rich dividends down the road. “You’re here for your journey,” he stated. “It’s not easy. A lot of times it isn’t fun. A lot of times, you want to do anything but complete a journey. But I tell you: This place transformed me. It’s transforming you.”

The highlight of each year’s Keydet Club Scholarship Banquet, of course, is the presentation of the Three-Legged Stool Award, which is given to the cadet-athlete who most exemplifies the philosophy of a VMI education encompassing academics, athletics, and the military. The term was coined by one of the Institute’s most beloved alumni, Giles Miller, Class of 1924.

This year’s recipient was Cadet Dyson Dunham ’26, a wrestler who not only advanced to the NCAA tournament last year, becoming the first Keydet wrestler to do so in 5 years, but he also won his first match at the NCAA tournament, becoming the first Keydet to score points in the NCAA tournament in 17 years. The recipient of a 3-year U.S. Army ROTC scholarship, Dunham finished in the top 23% at Army Advanced Camp last summer. Academically, he’s a civil engineering major who’s been named to the dean’s list three times and currently holds a 3.4 GPA.

Jim Gibson, VMI wrestling head coach, described Dunham as having made “a lasting impact in his leadership, a reflection of his personal drive and his readiness to lead in the future.”

Speaking briefly after accepting the award, Dunham thanked a number of people for believing in him and supporting his goals—among them his parents, grandparents, coaches, and fellow athletes.

“The Keydet Club Scholarship Banquet is a very special occasion because it brings cadet-athletes and their donors together,” said Deal. “We are extraordinarily thankful for the generous donors who provide scholarship resources for our cadet-athletes. VMI athletics is sustained by their consistent and powerful support.”

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