AUSTIN W. KELLY

BANGOR – Austin W. Kelly, 75, died unexpectedly May 27, 2005, at his home in Bangor. He was born Aug. 2, 1929, in New London, Conn., the son of Austin and Josephine (Goodall) Kelly, both of whom were natives of Ireland. He became interested in golf at a very early age, beginning as a caddy, and then working his way through all aspects of golf course maintenance at various courses in the Connecticut area. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, stationed in Germany. He moved to Maine in 1955, where he took the position of golf professional at the Pinewood Golf Club in Lucerne. In 1963, when he heard that the City of Bangor was planning to construct a municipal golf course, he immediately applied for the position as head professional and worked with the course architect and the contractor during the planning, layout and construction of the course. He had a special interest in turf management and under his supervision of the course maintenance, it was subsequently ranked among the top 50 public courses in the country by Golf Digest magazine. Through his efforts, it was selected by the United States Golf Association as the site for the 1978 National Public Links Championship, the only time that a national USGA tournament has ever been held in the State of Maine. Through his perseverance, an additional nine hole golf course was added in 1987, resulting in an overall facility that is self-supporting, requiring no funding by Bangor taxpayers. He retired in 1995, and was elected to the Maine Golf Hall of Fame in 1997. He was very proud of his profession, being a member of the Professional Golfers’ Association for more than 50 years, a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and a member of the USGA Board of Directors. He was an avid student of the game, its history and golf course architecture. He also had a special interest in the history of European royalty, although his real passion was the history of the French Foreign Legion. He made many trips to Legion Headquarters in France, where he made numerous friends among the Legionnaires, and became one of the largest collectors of Legion memorabilia in the world. He is survived by two sons, Kevin A. of Bangor and Sean M. and his wife, Julie and grandchildren, Austin Ryan and Megan Ann of Houston, Texas; Sandra Bryant of Bangor, a special friend and mother of his children; Nelson Ritchel of Westwood, Mass., a nephew; and Margaret Barnes of Mobile, Ala., a niece; John Frawley of Hampden, a long-time friend; General Claude Ascensi of Paris, France; and Dominique, his loving dog and constant companion. Friends may call 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, 2005, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10 a.m. Thursday, June 2, 2005, at St. John’s Catholic Church, York Street, with the Very Rev. Richard C. McLaughlin, pastor, celebrant, followed by interment at Mount Pleasant Catholic Cemetery, Bangor. Gifts in his memory may be sent to the Bangor Humane Society, 693 Mt. Hope Ave., Bangor.