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Kelly to retire after nearly 40 years in newspaper advertising
Continued from page 2 and Universal Studios and held large Christmas parties for the youngsters. Kelly joked that advertisers would say “here comes trouble” when they saw her walk in the door, thinking “she’s going to want an ad or a donation for the kids – or both.”
“My own thought on it is that God placed me in a position to develop all those connections so that down the road I was able to do so much for all those kids,” she said.
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Looking back over the years, Kelly said the “flexibility” of the newspaper industry was very important to her. It enabled her to bring her young daughter to work when she was ill and sometimes stay home with her. She also was able to attend virtually all her school activities. “And my daughter basically grew up at the newspaper. My view is God, family and work – in that order,” Kelly said.
“I’ve made a lot of lifelong friends in the newspaper business,” Kelly said, “and I have been blessed to live in White Hall, which is just a great place.”
Kelly’s daughter lives in North Carolina, along with two granddaughters. One grandson lives with her in White Hall and the other is in the Army in Alaska. She has two great-grandchildren in North Carolina and another in Alaska. The latter was born in December.
“I just want to be able to enjoy my family.” Kelly said of retirement. “And I want to spend more time in North Carolina.”
She does plan to continue with several special publications developed for businesses and events in White Hall. Some are youth-oriented and are distributed at the local school. The biggest project is a Founders Day magazine published each October.
Despite all the challenges facing community newspapers, Kelly believes they can still prosper if the publisher and staff work hard to develop great connections with local people. “I think that, if the paper is run correctly and with integrity, it will succeed. Monticello is an example.
“And it also doesn’t hurt to give away popcorn each week. By the way, that popcorn is danged good, let me tell you.
