2009 Hall of Fame Inductee, John V. Kelly

John V. Kelly was active for many years in community and charitable affairs, serving eighteen years in the State Legislature. He was first elected in 1981. From May 1988 to May 1992, he served as Mayor of the Township of Nutley and was responsible for the Department of Public Safety through May 1996.

While a State Legislator from 1981 to 1983, he was a member of the Assembly Insurance and Banking Committee. During his first term in office, he was an author of the original 1983 Jobs Training Act, which was officially know as the Governor’s Employment and Training Initiative. This law provided training for the state’s disadvantaged and displaced workers. He sponsored legislation calling for the establishment of a fund to aid families with children suffering from catastrophic illnesses and major disabilities as well as legislation aimed at eliminating nuisance lawsuits. During his second term, he sponsored a law which expanded the National Burn Victim Foundation Program to include the area of child abuse. He also sponsored legislation creating a Rental Housing Study Commission to study the retention and creation of affordable rental housing in the State of New Jersey. He was the sponsor of legislation enacted which created the Health Wellness Promotion Act which established minimum preventive standards which must be offered and covered by health insurance carriers. Other laws sponsored by Kelly provided photo identification cards to non-drivers; established a licensing program for hospice care programs; prohibited discrimination by certain cubs against their members; and required children 14 and under to wear bicycle helmets.

John Kelly was Chairman of the Assembly Housing Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee from 1986 to 1999. He served on the Assembly Veterans and Military Affairs Committee during his 1990-1991 term. He introduced legislation which would expand the helmet law to anyone age 17 and under as well as to in-line skaters and skateboarders in this age group. Also, he sponsored legislation to provide funding for search and rescue teams and a bill which would require health coverage for mammogram testing for women age 40 and over. He sponsored legislation which would require nonprofit corporations to disclose employees’ salaries when they receive grants in excess of $50,000. Additionally, he worked to increase the mandatory penalty for repeat sexual offenders as well as on a law to ban the sale and distribution of irradiated food in New Jersey.

He was the coordinator of the New Jersey Cares Project, which sent more than 7000 care packages to U.S. military troops serving in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The project, which spanned six months and operated on a statewide level, included three shipments to armed forces in the Persian Gul and the Mediterranean Sea. Kelly was recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense for the project and his support of the National Guard and Reserves.

John Kelly was born July 11, 1926 in Jersey City, NJ where he attended St. Nicholas Grammar School and St. Peter’s Prep High School. He graduated in 1944. He joined the U.S. Army where he served until November 1946. He is a veteran of the Philippine Campaign and served as a staff sergeant attached to Headquarters A in the Western Pacific with the War Crimes Commission.

After being honorably discharged, he resumed his employment with the Railway Express Agency in Hoboken, working nights while enrolled as a full-time student at St. Peter’s College. He completed his undergraduate studies in 1951 and was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Finance with honors. When graduated, Kelly was employed by the accounting firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company where he was placed in a supervisory position. He remained with the company until 1962 when he was employed as a controller of the Nutley Savings and Loan Association. The following year he became the Executive Vice-President and Director and in 1971 he was elected President of Nutley Savings and Loan.

On September 25, 1954 he married Elizabeth Mele. They had four children: Regina, Joseph, John and Renee. They are the proud grandparents of eleven grandchildren. The Kellys celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in September.

In his own words, “From the time I moved to Nutley I have been involved in numerous civic organizations. Through this involvement I was quickly heartened by the humanity and charity among the people I met.”

In keeping with its history as “Nutley’s only hometown financial institution,” Nutley Savings was a friendly community-minded organization. Since 1971, under the guidance of then President John V. Kelly, Nutley Savings and Loan Association had grown from $60 million to $212 million in assets. It ranked 13th in size among the 200 savings and loan associations in the state at that time and served 22,000 customers. The organization under Kelly was very involved in the community donating score boards for the athletic fields and gymnasiums in parochial and public schools. It sponsored and supported numerous civic and charitable organizations as well as health care programs. In addition, Kelly also had the Association sponsor and co-sponsor countless performances of local musical groups and individuals, and annual youth basketball tournaments, chess tournaments, the Nutley 5-Mile Classic foot race and art exhibits.

Kelly created a community room at the bank to honor its former President John F. Dolan. The facility became the “home” for regular meetings and social events for any Nutley group simply for the asking. John Kelly often would drop by when groups used the bank’s Community Room, and often became intimately involved in the latest civic or charitable town project. His involvement spanned four decades. His example of volunteerism made Nutley a friendlier and more compassionate town. (Sources: Regina Kelly, Virginius D. Mattia Distinguished Community Service Award Program 2002)