James Harlan Kelly ’53

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James was born in Mexico, D.F. (now Mexico City), and attended Texas Military Institute and the Lawrenceville School before entering Princeton, where he joined Cottage Club and majored in politics. 

He served in the Army after graduation and then settled in San Antonio, Texas. Later he lived in Dallas, where he served as president of the Texas Shippers Association, but he subsequently returned to San Antonio, where he died Nov. 27, 2021. 

James is survived by his second wife, Alice Shankle; two daughters, Kirby and Kendall; two stepdaughters, Leslie and Susan; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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PAW’s December 2025 cover, with a photo of Michael Park ’98.
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