W. A. Kelley
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Name
Walter A. Kelley
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Specialities
Spermatophytes
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Roles
Determiner, Author, Collector
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Movement Details
United States of America
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Notes
Not referenced at data migration
From Flora of North America Newsletter 25(1): 13 (2011):
Walter Almond Kelley
1942–2010
Walter “Walt” Kelley passed away suddenly on
December 31 in the rainforest of Costa Rica, a
place he loved and cared for. He was 68. Walt was born
August 20, 1942, in Texarkana, Texas, to Franklin
Walter Kelley and Lillian Almond Kelley. He spent part
of his childhood in Roswell, New Mexico, before
moving to Southern California. He enjoyed wonderful
summers in east Texas with grandparents as well as
aunts and uncles, which nurtured his love of gardening
and the outdoors. He attended North Hollywood High
School and ultimately California State University at
Northridge, where he received both his Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees in biology. It was in an organic chemistry class that he met the love of his life, Janet Baer.
After some time as “hiking buddies,” Jan and Walt were
married April 2, 1971. They moved to Fort Collins,
Colorado, two years later so that Walt could pursue a
Ph.D. in Botany, studying isoenzymes in junipers. It was
there that his first son, John, was born. Walt finished his
dissertation with John in a crib nearby. The family
moved to Grand Junction in 1977 when Walt accepted a
Professor of Biology position at Mesa State College; four
years later his second son, Steven, joined the family.
Walt spent 30 years at Mesa State researching and passing on his love of plants. His passionate and talented
teaching touched countless students, some of who went
on to have careers in related fields, thanks to Walt’s
inspiration. Beyond his teaching, Walt was deeply
dedicated to scholarly pursuits: he contributed to a
section of the California Flora, worked on various
projects with Nature Conservancy, BLM, the Ute Tribe,
Earthwatch, and others. He was the author of
Calandrinia and Cistanthe in FNA Volume 4 and also
worked on Cryptantha. In 1989, Walt traveled to Costa
Rica and sparked a 20-year love affair with that rich
country. During this time, he became fascinated by the
tropics and devoted to the study of pipers, working in
partnership with the Organization for Tropical Studies.
Please donate in Walt’s memory to Save the Rainforest
or another charity of your choice. -
Collections