Walter T. Kelley (1897–1986) was an American

beekeeper A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping. The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees in beehives, boxes, or other receptacles. The beekeeper does not control the creatures. The beekeeper ow ...

who created a large bee equipment supply and queen breeding company based in

Clarkson, Kentucky Clarkson is a home rule-class city in Grayson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 933 at the 2020 census, up from 875 at the 2010 census, Once called "Grayson Springs Depot" after a nearby resort, the name was changed in 1882 ...

. Kelley also wrote extensively about

apiculture Beekeeping (or apiculture, from ) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in artificial beehives. Honey bees in the genus ''Apis (bee), Apis'' are the most commonly kept species but other honey producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless be ...

and published the bee journal ''Modern Beekeeping''.

Early life

Kelley was born in

Sturgis, Michigan Sturgis is a city in St. Joseph County, Michigan, St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,082 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located at the northeast corner of Sturgis Township, Michigan ...

, in 1897. He interrupted his education to enlist in the

Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army responsible for creating and managing communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860 by ...

, 1918, but in a few months was released from service and returned to university. Kelley graduated from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

with a degree in

in 1919. He worked for the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

from graduation until 1924 when he started keeping bees full-time in

Houma, Louisiana Houma ( ) is the largest city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is also the largest principal city of the Houma– Bayou Cane– Thibodaux metropolitan statistical area. The city's governme ...

The Walter T. Kelley Company

Kelley and his wife Ida started a beekeeping supply company, called The Walter T. Kelley Company in 1926. He sold durable

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

hives and woodware originally built in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

then later at his factory in Paducah,Kentucky. He created or greatly improved upon ventilated bee gloves (1938), wired foundation (1939), bee blowers (1969), and plastic bottom boards (1975). Kelley's business included a farm in Cade, Louisiana, where his queen and package bee operation grew to 1500 colonies. He sold queens and replacement bees throughout North America. After 85 years the company is still providing beekeeping supplies today after moving from Paducah, Kentucky, to Grayson County, Kentucky, in the early 1950s when the cost of labor increased due to the building of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Walter Kelley manufacturing complex in Paducah KY

Walter Kelley manufacturing complex in Paducah KY

The Kelley Company was acquired by Mann Lake - Mann Lake Company

Writings

Kelley was a prolific and enthusiastic author of beekeeping materials, including his journal ''Modern Beekeeping'' founded in 1944. Many of his books and pamphlets were designed to encourage his customers of bee related products, including ''How to Keep Bees and Sell Honey'' published until at least 1978.

Later life

Kelly and his wife were major donors to the Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in nearby Leitchfield and a wing of the

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

was named for them in their honor. He died on August 22, 1986, in Grayson County, Kentucky."Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes, 1911-1999," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKCM-Z3WK : 1 July 2015), Walter T Kelley, 22 Aug 1986; citing Death, Grayson, Kentucky, United States, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Walter T. American beekeepers 1897 births 1986 deaths Michigan State University alumni People from Grayson County, Kentucky People from Sturgis, Michigan