James Gordon Kelly

Jim Kelly was my professional mentor and inspiration. I teach his theories and wisdom to my community psychology graduate and undergraduate students every semester and I have been doing so for over 41 years. I think of Jim every day and he has had a lasting and profound influence on my personal and professional identity. I am a believer in his theory of social ecology and the deep understanding that jazz give us about the world of innovation and implementation of intervention. Finally,...

I used to be Jim's tennis coach up to a few months ago. He is awesome! He was always looking to improve and gave me updates on how his doubles play would go for the week. He loved to play and worked hard on his game! I know he worked out almost every day and we would work on improving his movement every lesson. He was so fun to be around and had a great personality. I will miss spending time with him. He lived an amazing life!

Jim my undergrad advisor at Oregon, and my most significant non-family mentor. He engaged as a friend who cared, who took joy from my efforts. We stayed connected the next 40 years. Last year I was blessed to receive the same Distinguished Practice Award in Community Psychology he had received in 1978...what a joy it was to see him at the conference in Chicago, and be one of the voices to lend my gratitude for his mentorship. I am so blessed our paths crossed, and our journeys intersected...

I am grateful for the years I knew Jim Kelly as a faculty colleague at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I saw the major impact he had on the University and those he worked with. His impact came in many ways-through the way he lived his values in all aspects of his professional life; through his mentoring of faculty and students; through his advising and teaching; and through his seminal writings and research. He will probably be best remembered for his role in the development of a new...

June 4, 2020

Jim Kelly has been a tremendous influence on my career as a community psychologist. I have read every article as well as all the books that he wrote. Thinking ecologically became part of my nature, as a result of his keen observations about the relationships between individuals and social settings. Further, he nurtured so many generations of community psychologists, through mentoring them, through providing vehicles for their development. Not only a key founder of...

When I was a graduate student, Jim Kelly's articles on social ecology opened my eyes to systemic thinking. When I was a new faculty member, Jim Kelly agreed to participate in an APA symposium in 1982 to help attract other luminaries to the panel and make it viable, to help my career. And when I was SCRA President and I was unsure about a decision to make or, more importantly, a process to use, I could always count on Jim Kelly's advice. He was so generous with his wisdom-- my career would...

As all community psychologists, one could not have graduated without reading Jim Kellys work. His brilliance will be sorely missed

I know Jim as an historical figure and inspiration to many in Community Psychology, including myself. But more importantly Jim had a profound influence on me personally and professionally as a mentor, a collaborator in writing, and as a friend. He is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have ever known. I will miss our all too infrequent phone conversations, which always made me feel better about the world and life.