Kelly, Leo Wiliam, 1995 August 04

The following is an Living History Interview with Mr. Leo W. Kelly, conducted by Marilyn Somers on August 4, 1995, at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Kelly begins with how he moved to Atlanta in 1932 and graduated from North Fulton High School in 1937. There were many reasons why he chose Tech. The main reason was economics. The tuition was only $50 per semester. Another influence was that his father had been a career navy man and knew a lot about electronics and had directed his son in the field of engineering. The third reason was that Tech was a good school. Mr. Kelly continues telling about his freshman year. He remembers all the freshmen had to gather in the chapel for freshman orientation. He describes the kinds of classes that all freshmen took and the type of course load that was handled. The only elective during his freshman year was a foreign language. However, chemical engineers were required to take German. He then tells stories about his German class and his German professor, Dr. Crenshaw. He briefly mentioned another professor, Fred Ajax, who taught first semester English. Mr. Kelly's next topic is ROTC, including a story about uniforms. He describes the Confederated Memorial Day Parade in which the whole student body participated. He then tells why he became a football manager for four years. He briefly mentions his classes and describes the final exam schedule. Next, he describes several places where students went to hang out, as well as the downtown area. Football was a big part of the campus. Mr. Kelly explains his duties as football manager and how they traveled. His next subject focused on faculty members. He briefly talks about Coach Alexander, George Griffin, Dean Skiles, and Dean Fields. He tells of his broad education that he received at Tech. He then discusses his graduation and how he was unable to receive a commission because he was not 21; therefore, he had to find a job. He accepted a position at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. When war broke out on December 7, he returned to Atlanta where he received his orders for active duty. He then describes his activities during the way. Next, he tells the story of how he did not have the money to return to school his senior year. His father approached George Griffin who in turn approached Coach Alexander and Leo Kelly was allowed to remain at Tech. However, after football season he had to find a job to earn his keep. He was assigned to be timekeeper of his unit. Next, he tells a story about Coach Dodd. He then sums up his experiences at Tech.