I had to smile that on Saturday, Oct. 18 as the No Kings Protest were ongoing throughout the country, the College Media Association John A Boyd Hall of Fame recognized Kelley Lash at a special ceremony that evening in Washington, D.C.
Kelley was the editor of the George-Anne, the college newspaper of Georgia Southern University, when I went there. Sadly, she died of a pulmonary embolism on Feb. 21, 2022 at the age of 46.
I began working under her in the Fall of 1998 and liked her instantly. Just about everyone did. She had a friendly demeanor and a smile that could light up your day. At the same time, she was a very professional journalist as she was working the editor-in-chief’s desk in April 1999 when five students were arrested for attempting to bomb the campus Recreation Activity Center.
Kelley (nee McGonnell) graduated in the spring of 2000 and then worked in student media from the professional post-graduate side. She eventually becamed the director of student media at GSU. In 2010, she took a position as the director of student publications at Rice University in Houston which she held until her passing.
From 2015 to 2017, she served as president of the CMA. But her biggest contributions was as a mentor to many young people. But she was more than a mentor, she was a dear friend to many. I’m glad that some of her friends and former colleagues, such as Scott Garner and Stacy Wysong McCray, were able to be there with her other friends and family. Also there was one of our professors, Robert Bohler, who was our faculty advisor during the time she was editor.
I know that wherever Kelley is, she is smiling amidst TVs playing constant episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Chris Hemsworth movies. I’m just sad her family and friends can’t get one more day with her nor that Kelley wasn’t there to receive the honor in person.
According to their website: “Induction into the Boyd Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor given by CMA, recognizing longtime members whose dedication, commitment and sacrifice have contributed to the betterment of student media programs on their campuses and across the country. “
Zane Says 