The Honorable Larry E. Kelly

January 9, 1946 - March 19, 2014

Judge Larry E. Kelly was born in Banana River, Florida, grew up at various military bases in the South, and graduated from Westbury High School in Houston, Texas.  Judge Kelly began college at Austin College and the University of Texas, but then took a detour into the United States Navy in 1966.  In 1969, he and Suzanne Veiluva were married, in 1970 he completed his degree at the University of Texas, and in 1972 he began law school at Baylor University.  Judge Kelly graduated cum laude from Baylor Law School in 1974 and began his legal career at the Waco firm of Pakis, Cherry, Beard & Giotes.

On October 2, 1986, Judge Kelly was sworn in as one of the two United States Bankruptcy Judges in the Western District of Texas.  He became chief bankruptcy judge on October 1, 1988, and remained chief judge until he retired from the bench on February 1, 2007.  At various times Judge Kelly covered six far-flung divisions in the Western District: Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, San Antonio, Waco, and Midland-Odessa.  He also volunteered to cover the Beaumont Division of the Eastern District following the death of Judge Abel.  

Judge Kelly was legendary in the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.  He was chairman of the NCBJ Automation Committee from 1995 until 2006 and personally created its website.  He constantly promoted automation and technology for the bankruptcy courts and received awards for his service.  He served with distinction on the Federal Judicial Center Committee on Bankruptcy Education from 1991 until 1994.

After his "retirement," Judge Kelly continued to teach the bankruptcy court part-time at his beloved Baylor Law School, as he had over 20 years, and also worked part-time at the Beard Kultgen law firm in Waco.

Judge Kelly was a giant in the bankruptcy community because his knowledge of bankruptcy was encyclopedic.  He was a teacher, a creative thinker, and an innovator who thought outside the box.  He served as a mentor to his law clerks, staff, and fellow judges.  He constantly imagined better ways to do things and even questioned why we do things.

Judge Kelly was an extroverted and sociable judge who enjoyed interaction with lawyers.  He was so widely traveled for court hearings in the Western and Eastern Districts of Texas that he was friends with lawyers all over Texas and beyond.  He was known for his trademark "long story made short" phrase, which prompted many of his listeners to get a fresh drink, knowing full well that the story would not be short.

--Chief Judge Ronald B. King