Jean Kelty, Animal Charity, Victorian Players founder dies

She is remembered as brilliant, energetic, amazing and kind.
BOARDMAN -- Dr. Jean McClure Kelty, 77, founder of Animal Charity and the Victorian Players and a retired English professor at Youngstown State University, died Friday morning in her Sunset Boulevard residence.
Until this month, she and Bill Whitehouse, naturalist emeritus at Mill Creek MetroParks and a volunteer naturalist at Austintown Park, had a weekly radio program for 10 years.
The call-in talk show, sponsored by Animal Charity and titled "Down to Earth," addressed environmental, nature, wildlife and pet issues, and aired Saturday mornings on WBBW-AM.
"She was intellectually one of the most brilliant people I've ever known. She was very energetic. She loved challenges and had boundless energy," said Whitehouse, who also described her as "a very creative writer."
Victorian Players is a community theater devoted to plays depicting the Victorian era.
"She was an amazing woman. Her love was theater. She wrote plays. She directed just about every play we did," said John Thompson of Austintown, who has been an actor at Victorian Players since 1994 and co-directed plays there with Kelty.
"She was very kind. She loved animals more than anything," he added. "If she was going to do something, it got done, and it got done right," he said. "There are several amazing people that one meets, and she was one of them."
Biography
Kelty was born March 13, 1926, in Warren, a daughter of John and Effie McClure. She was a graduate of Warren G. Harding High School, Youngstown University and Western Reserve University, receiving her doctorate in English from Case Western Reserve University in 1969.
She also studied at Juilliard School of Music and Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music and taught piano and voice privately.
She also worked in the fields of portrait photography and oil painting with her husband, Perc Kelty, who survives. She also has written poetry, drama, short stories and scholarly articles.
In 1960, she was appointed editor of the national quarterly publication of the Composers, Authors and Artists of America. Having founded the humane organization, Animal Charity of Youngstown, in 1962, she was named director of bibliographical research for the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C., in 1970.
She was also an officer and member of the Humane Society.
She remained president and chief executive officer of Animal Charity and director of Victorian Players until her death.
Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Poland, where a memorial service will follow at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Contributions may be made to Animal Charity, 3722 South Ave., or to the Victorian Players, 702 Mahoning Ave., both Youngstown 44502.