William A. "Bill" Kelly

When Bill Kelly came home to Georgia after serving in the U.S. Occupation Forces in Japan, ready to start a family, he needed a job that was, well, rock solid. Iin 1954, he joined the Elberton Granite Association as general manager.
When he started, the EGA had exactly one staff member: Bill Kelly. Under Kelly's leadership, the EGA's membership increased from 29 companies to 126. Its staff grew from one employee to 13. With Kelly at the helm of the EGA, Elberton. population just under 5,000, soon became known as the granite capital of the world.
With his business and civic accomplishments, "he somehow managed to be a great family man as well," his daughter Janet Wiley said. "It looks like he would have had to work all the time to do all that he did, but he was a master of organization. I never remember him missing a family event."
William A. Kelly, 88, of Rome, died July 11 after complications from a blood disorder.Read the news obituary