Rend Lake College Alumnus of the Year: Bob Kelley

By ReAnne Palmer 

INA, IL –   It was a night of celebration and merriment at the 2017 Rend Lake College Foundation Annual Dinner with numerous surprise awards and announcements, starting with the 2017 Alumnus of the Year. The Annual Dinner was held Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Mt. Vernon Hotel & Events Center.

Kicking off the evening’s festivities was the biggest award of them all – the Alumnus of the Year honor – given to a standout alum for their dedication to the college. Because this year marks RLC’s 50th birthday, it was fitting that the Alumnus of the Year has been involved with the college for nearly as many years.

“Deciding who will receive the honors of the Alumnus of the Year is no easy task,” said RLC Foundation CEO Kay Zibby-Damron. “We knew it would be special for the honor to go to someone who was directly connected to the college’s 50th anniversary. In August, I listened intently during the anniversary celebration to a certain speaker who spouted off names and accomplishments. It was quite impressive. I introduced myself to the speaker afterwards and asked if he would be willing to share his speech with me.”

She continued, “As I learned more about Bob Kelley, the decision about our Alumnus of the Year became quite evident. Not only was Bob a part of the first class to attend Rend Lake College in 1967, but he is also the unofficial college historian. There are thousands of pages, and yes, I mean thousands, filled with information about the college that has been captured, collected, and compiled by a man who truly loves Rend Lake College.”

Kelley’s ties to RLC go much deeper than just a member of the first-ever RLC freshman class. During his youth, his mother was executive secretary to Dr. Howard Rawlinson, the first dean of RLC. He is a student and graduate who then returned as Communication Director for 27 years. In his 11 years of retirement, he’s stayed connected to the college as a member of the Sports Hall of Fame Committee and writer of the RLC History Book.

“Rend Lake College has played an important role in providing a pathway to future success. In my two years as a student, 27 years as an employee, and 11 years as a retiree, there are only three years in the last 50 where I haven’t had direct ties to the college,” said Kelley, who also includes the 10 years he was on campus with his mother.

Still completely dedicated to the college and always humble, Kelley noted during his speech at the Annual Dinner that he doesn’t see himself among the top ranks of other Alumni of the Year, which include law enforcement and politicians, business owners, NASA employees, and others.

“I came to Rend Lake College in the fall of 1967, and while I’m certainly not the most-accomplished, I am a representative of the 20,000 graduates who – by my calculations – will have received degrees this May,” said Kelley. “And tonight, I am the luckiest of those graduates.”

Toward the end of his speech, an emotional Kelley expressed his utmost thanks to his family and friends in attendance, and to everyone in the room for being avid supporters of the institution he loves.

“Rend Lake College played a big part, along with family and church, in helping me get more out of my life than I deserve. There was never a day that I did not look forward to going to work surrounded by friends, colleagues, and work-related family,” said Kelley. “I could not find a finer institution anywhere that means more to me. The most heart-felt thank you to everyone here.”