A memorial dedication was held at Arkansas State University-Beebe earlier in the fall semester to remember and honor a beloved English professor, Michael Kelly, who passed away in 2018 after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—commonly referred to as ALS.
Kelly’s colleague Suzanne Lindsey, assistant professor of English, gathered a small group of former students, colleagues and friends in the Owen Center hallway to dedicate a memorial bench as a tribute to the lives he impacted.
Many shared their favorite memories and daily interactions with Kelly, recalling his quick wit, kind and welcoming personality, and dedication to his students.
Dr. Jennifer Methvin, ASU-Beebe chancellor, spoke about working with Kelly when she first began her college teaching career as an English instructor at ASU-Beebe.
“Michael and I were young colleagues together at ASU-Beebe. We both had strong and common convictions about teaching writing skills,” Dr. Methvin said. “There was a time, or perhaps two, that Dr. Ruth Couch, who was over academic affairs, had to rein us in. And then there was another time that Dr. Eugene McKay, our chancellor, laid the law down to us. It was a joy to learn and grow in this profession with Michael.”
Teddy Davis, retired dean of the arts and humanities division, wrote a very fitting eulogy that she presented at his funeral in 2018.
“’Greetings and salad dressing’—That is how Michael always greeted people on the phone.
Michael Kelly was a much-loved member of the ASU-Beebe family for 25 years. He and I were good friends all that time and worked on more projects together than I could even begin to list.
We worked on several accreditation reports and traveled to Chicago together for several years to attend the annual accreditation conference. Michael always said we worked well together because I told him what to do and he did it.
Michael and I worked on the last two accreditation reports together huddled over one big computer screen in Michael’s office. We always joked that after that experience we could now write the great American novel together. We never quite got around to that though.
He was loved and respected by students, faculty and staff. Michael always put his students first in everything that he did. He strove to give them a life-long love of literature, but he also attempted to give them the tools they needed to succeed in the real world of work, and he pushed them to think and to stretch.
He received the Positive Teacher Award twice – in 2004 and again in 2012. This was especially gratifying to him because it is an award voted on by students.
He was concerned about the growing cost of books and the burden this placed on students.
With the goal of giving students a cheaper option, he edited three books using public domain sources so that the books would be much, much cheaper for students. He created a text for Freshman English I, “Literary Functions” and a text for both World Literature I and World Literature II, “Literary Worlds Volume I” and “Literary Worlds Volume II.”
He was loved and respected by every life he touched. Michael was my co-worker, my ‘partner in crime’ and my friend. I called him my other little brother. He was one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. He was always happy and upbeat, even when it was hard for him to be happy and upbeat.
Michael will be missed by his ASU-Beebe family. But we have many, many wonderful memories of him. Everyone has a Michael Kelly story.
So, when we think of Michael it will not be with sadness, but with joy. There are some people who come into your life and make your life better just by their having passed your way. I was lucky I got to know that joy that was Michael Kelly for 25 years. But I will have the joy and goodness that he brought to my life forever.” (Teddy Davis 8-6-2018)
Lindsey also shared a note that was left in Kelly’s classroom in March 2018, after he became too ill to continue teaching. The note reads: “Mr. Kelly – No matter what happens we still love you and appreciate everything you’ve done for us. You’re the bomb.com. Your freshman English I class.”
Kelly’s passion for teaching and student success was evident in the editor’s note he wrote in “Literary Worlds Volume I.” Here are a couple of excerpts: “This text was born out of a love for learning, a respect for students, and a curiosity for the enormous breadth of literature. … Learning is a transformative behavior in which students develop from an uninformed state to a condition better equipped to reason effectively, to determine their destiny, and to declare their inner most feelings. In sum, learning is self-empowerment.”
The bench is located outside Kelly’s former classroom in the Owen Center. The inscription reads: In memory of our dear friend, Professor Michael Kelly. “And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” —Shakespeare.
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