When it came time for Donald Kliewer to choose a profession, he took two factors into consideration: the need to commute to college and his favorite subject at school.

So he went to Millersville and embarked on a long career teaching math in Manheim Township School District.

Even after retiring in 1993, Kliewer has continued on this path.

After a short stint in the insurance business, the 74-year-old Manheim resident has been an adjunct math professor at Lancaster Bible College since 1994.

Kliewer, who teaches two or three classes each semester, has taught courses in logic (as part of the philosophy department), finite math, probability and statistics, introduction to college math and basic math skills.

When the then-senior pastor of Calvary Church, Eric Crichton, told him that a lot of pastors weren't able to read double-entry financial reports, Kliewer worked with LBC to create a course to cover this need.

"Lo and behold, all the books we needed were already in the college bookstore," he said.

In 2004, doctors discovered Kliewer had colon cancer. But after surgery, he was able to return to the college.

This fall, for his 17th year at LBC, Kliewer will be teaching two basic math classes and a probability and statistics class.

"All of my life and my teaching, I've asked the Lord to love others through me," Kliewer said. "He's given me a joy in teaching. I get excited when I'm in the classroom. There's nothing wrong with using the gifts he's given us."

Kliewer has no plans to stop teaching.

"Sure, I've thought about it, but he always seems to give me students that respond in a way that encourages me to say, 'Lord, you still must be calling me.'"

A Lancaster Township native, Kliewer graduated from the three-year Manheim Township High School in 1953.

He earned a degree in secondary education, with a mathematics major and a social studies minor, from the former Millersville State Teachers' College in 1957.

The following fall, Kliewer began the first of 36 years with Manheim Township School District.

He taught junior high math for four years before venturing to the high school.

Kliewer taught the gauntlet, from general math and algebra I to his main focus of algebra II, geometry, trigonometry and advanced math (pre-calculus).

"I taught both levels of students — those academically inclined and those who were not," Kliewer said.

Kliewer was named department chair during the 1970-71 school year.

During his years with Manheim Township, Kliewer often could be found on its athletic fields. He coached baseball for 17 years, nine as head coach. He also coached junior high basketball for nine years.

But what he enjoyed most was coaching the boys' and girls' cross-country teams.

"You got yourself ready. You didn't have to worry about an umpire's call or the bounce of the ball," he said.

Before he began coaching cross-country, Kliewer saw the cross-country team members between the tennis courts behind the high school and the bank leading to the hockey field.

"Some were at the top, some at the bottom and some were sitting. They were not working too hard. They had not had a successful season," Kliewer said.

When the coach resigned, "I said to a couple fellas, if you guys are willing to work, I'm willing to work with you," Kliewer said.

The first year he coached — and the last year of the old Lancaster County League — the boys were 7-7.

He told the team the next year that there would be many champions of the new Lancaster-Lebanon League over the years, but only one would be first.

"You can do it, if you make up your minds to it," Kliewer told them. "The boys bought into it and they did it."

The cross-country team won the district title in 1973, '74, '76 and '77. It came in second in 1975.

Also during his years as cross-country coach, a girls' team was started. "We got the girls' (team) going with one girl," he said.

Nowadays, Kliewer is too busy to get over to the athletic fields to even watch the teams.

Besides his job at Lancaster Bible College, "I have my hands in network marketing businesses," he said. "I also serve as an elder and have a number of responsibilities at church. I have a full schedule."

lvaningen@lnpnews.com