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Kelley Family Supports Music at Georgia Tech

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Mrs. Eugenia Kelley and her family endowed two funds in the Music Department: The Kelley Family Music Scholarship Endowment Fund and the John Evan Kelley Music Award Endowment Fund.

"Endowments such as these are important to the College," said Dean Thomas Galloway. "They support the faculty in furthering music education and give students the opportunity to perform in places that otherwise would not have been financially feasible." 

Dean Galloway is a firm believer in the value of music education. "The value of music in shaping the lives of our students is demonstrated in a number of places: retention, transfer to study skills, communication skills, as well as cognitive skills. The discipline of music study, particularly through participation in ensembles and bands, helps students learn to work together as a team more effectively and successfully."

"John (Applied Biology, BS 1976 and Health Systems, MS 1977) loved music, all kinds of music," said John's mother, Mrs. Kelley. "He played in the Georgia Tech band when he was a student at Tech. He included the Georgia Tech Music Program in his will, and when he died at the age of 38, he started one of the music program's first scholarship programs."

In John's honor, the Kelley family decided to establish another endowment for the music program, the Kelley Family Music Scholarship Endowment.

The Kelley Family Music Scholarship Endowment Fund supports undergraduate students participating in the music program. The John Evan Kelley Music Award Endowment Fund also supports students participating in the music program, notably those demonstrating outstanding leadership and service to the Georgia Tech bands. 

The John Evan Kelley fund also helps to underwrite the costs of travel to perform at conferences or festivals. In October of 2005, members of the Georgia Tech Symphonic Band used this endowment to travel to and perform at the Shanghai International Arts Festival. Students performed in chamber ensembles and presented four concerts in Shanghai and Beijing. 

Adam Wilson, a computer science major said of the trip to China, "I've noticed that every time I leave the country to visit another culture, I come back changed. People grow from experience, and that week in China was full of experiences."

In addition, the Georgia Tech Symphonic Band was invited to perform at the 2006 Georgia Music Educators Association Conference. Dr. Andrea Strauss, Director of Bands, used the Kelley endowment to fund the ensemble's travel to Savannah, Ga. 

"We are so grateful to Mrs. Kelley and her generous endowment to support music at Georgia Tech," said Strauss. "Without this support, students would not have the opportunity to perform for other communities and cultures. With such talented musician-engineers, it is advantageous for the Institute to showcase such performances beyond the borders of our campus."

The intrinsic value of music is widely recognized. In The Republic of Plato, Socrates said, "Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the soul of him who is rightly educated graceful, or of him who is ill-educated ungraceful." 

Thank you to the Kelley family for your support in shaping the lives of the students in the Music Program at Georgia Tech. 


More on Endowments:
An endowment gift is a permanent legacy and provides financial benefits to a specified program year after year, generation after generation. The principal of an endowment is invested to grow over time and the interest from the income that it produces is used to provide financial assistance to whatever purpose the endowment is designed. For more information on endowments or other ways of giving to the College, contact Chris File at 404-894-1371.

More on Georgia Tech�s Music Department:
The Georgia Tech Music Department strives to transform traditional academic and conservatory instruction and performance to an environment that combines innovative research and technology with the art of music. The Department aspires to create interdisciplinary academic programs integrating creative self-expression, scientific knowledge, and technical expertise, enriching the intellectual and cultural life of the campus, community, and profession.

Over 1000 Tech students sing, play or study music each semester. They'll be from every major on campus, and from many nations around the world. Some will take just one course, enjoying the unique experience of sharing music with other human beings while other will pursue a Music Certificate or Music Minor.

Visit www.music.gatech.edu for more information.

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  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Leslie Sharp
  • Created:07/11/2006
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016

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