From Staff Reports
KEYSER — This spring will mark the 65th time that Keyser Moose Lodge 662 will present the annual J. Edward Kelley Award to a deserving student at Keyser High School.
2010 will also mark the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, just as it will mark the 65th year that the people of Keyser, W.Va., stand up and pay tribute to those members of the 78th Lightning Division who each spring return to Mineral County in order to pay tribute to their fallen comrade and Medal of Honor recipient, J. Edward Kelley, along with the three young men who are nominated for the annual award.
To be sure, this annual event is much more than a local tradition; it’s an event so unique that there may not be another like it in our entire country.
To commemorate this special event and to honor J. Edward Kelley and his legacy, publisher Dave Boden has announced that the Mineral Daily News-Tribune will produce a very special publication that will tell the entire story of the award given annually in his memory.
The story will be told in a full-color magazine called, simply, Kelley.
Items to be covered in this magazine will certainly be (but not limited to): the life of Ed Kelley, the men of the 78th Lightning Division, all previous winners and nominees of the award who comprise the J. Edward Kelley Society, as well as the Legion of Honor.
Special attention will be given to the organizations, institutions, and people who started this most revered tradition and who continue to do all they can to see that the memory of J. Edward Kelley endures through today and tomorrow.
Some of those groups include Keyser Moose Lodge 662, who presented the first watches to the award nominees in 1945; Keyser High School; Keyser VFW Post 3518; and Boyce-Houser American Legion Post 41.
Kelley will be a community-wide effort, with input being solicited from many different sources.
“While the paper is publishing this magazine, in order to reach expectations for a top-quality, successful publication, we will need a lot of help from the community,” Boden said.
“We want to make sure that we put out the most complete history possible.”
To get the ball rolling, Boden has
already received some input as well as the blessings of Bob Dorsey (the first winner of the award in 1946), Dallas Adams (the 1948 winner), and Ed Smith (the 1954 award winner), Howard Barrick of Keyser Moose Lodge 662, and Tom and Thelma O’Connor.
“Members of the public are encouraged to become a part of this project,” Boden said. “Photos and articles will be needed, as well as proofreaders, community editors, and project advocates to insure that all the t’s are crossed and all the i’s dotted and to also make sure that nobody (or nothing) is left out.”
If you have some suggestions for things that should be included for the project, you are encouraged to stop by the News Tribune and visit with Dave Boden or News-Tribune Editor Liz Beavers, call them at 304-788-3333, or email them at dboden@newstribune.info or lbeavers@newstribune.info.
Kelley will publish in January 2010. But the work on it begins today.
If you have photos or articles that you would like to be considered for inclusion in the magazine, you may drop them off at the News-Tribune to be scanned and we will get them returned to you as soon as possible.
Also, the magazine officially goes on sale today, as it may be pre-ordered at a 25 percent discounted price of $5.66 plus tax.
Once the magazine is published, it will sell for $7.55 plus tax.
Also worth noting is that beginning next week, News-Tribune advertising reps will start selling advertising space in the magazine. If you are interested in placing an advertisement as a means of supporting this effort to celebrate one of our nation’s most unique community events, please call our office at 304-788-3333.
