A Marriage of Love, Togetherness & Poetry
“Eleanor was the inspiration for everything I accomplished. She gave me my humanity.” – Bill Kelly
Bill and Eleanor met when they both attended Temple University in Philadelphia. Bill, captain of the winning Owls basketball team, met Eleanor, a waitress at her Dad’s campus diner, after a teammate encouraged him to introduce himself. The couple married in 1972, after Eleanor finished her master’s degree. They celebrated their 54th year of happy marriage last year.
Bill said Eleanor is “the smartest person I’ve ever met.” Eleanor graduated summa cum laude from high school and then continued her academic success in undergraduate and graduate school, majoring in French and education.
A 50-year teaching career followed Eleanor’s completion of her studies with the last 48 years at an international Christian high school in suburban Philadelphia.
As captain Bill led the Temple men’s basketball team to March Madness in 1964. He graduated with a degree in communication and had a prolific career as a freelance writer with many published articles in magazines and newspapers including Sports Illustrated, The New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, to name a few.
Bill also wrote two books, one a poetry book dedicated to Eleanor. He has written Eleanor a poem for Christmas every year for the past 54 years. Each one is framed and on display in their home.
With his incredible basketball pedigree and success as a writer, Eleanor convinced Bill to not only teach a writing course and but also coach the boys’ basketball team at her high school. Eleanor was the dedicated impromptu assistant coach. The couple led the team to five championship wins in their time, a massive feat for a very small school of only around 100 students.
In their free time, Bill and Eleanor like to go on walks, out to dinner and, most of all, “talk to each other.” The loving impact the couple has made on each other and their community is profound.
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