Volunteer Spotlight: William Kelley

William Kelley has been a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for almost two years now. William, or Bill, grew up all over the continental United States. His stepfather inspected and maintained utility line poles, which meant their family was always on the move. “I was in as many as 7 schools in a year,” Bill recounted the difficulty of growing up being so transitory, as it impeded him from developing lasting friendships and hindered his education, picking up with differing curriculums across the country.

Bill went on to graduate high school in Weldon, Colorado where he took a job working for a company looking for oil reserves. He worked that job for about 6 years, until he took a job working for an industrial chimney company. There he helped build, tear down, paint, and maintenance chimneys all across the nation. Both of these jobs were very transitory, but William enjoyed the work.

William has been to 38 of the continental United States, Mexico, and Canada. He has traveled the continental United States for so long that he is very familiar with most places people mention throughout the country. His knowledge of the country helps him be able to relate to many individuals from other states and areas. When asked about his traveling and favorite place he has visited, William chose the beaches in Northern Washington. He described a lovely picture of bluffs overlooking the ocean, with the forest coming just before the edge.
Due to a car wreck, Bill was unable to climb chimneys anymore and found a job working for Tyson Foods, where he would transfer to Sedalia, MO and work for 16 years. When asked what he loved about Sedalia, he mentioned that it is the home of the state fair, more rural area, and he really enjoyed the lake and parks out there. While working there, he actually met Jon and Don Tyson.

When asked what he was most proud of William said his education. “I am the only one in my family to graduate from college,” said William. Graduating from the National Business College in Kansas City, while living in Sedalia, working full time, and carrying 22- 28 credits a semester put a lot on William’s shoulders. However, William finished his degree with a 3.86 GPA and continues his career with Tyson Foods.

When asked how he would spend a million dollars, Bill said that he would buy his own yacht and commute back and forth from the Philippines. He would most likely go on a world tour starting from there.

William’s Favorites:

Food- Ukrainian dishes
Candy- Ribbon candy
Dessert- Peanut Butter pie with whipped cream
Movie- Top Gun or Independence Day
Book- Novels by Louie L’Amour
Artist/Band- Bon Jovi, favorite song being “Blaze of Glory”
Color- Blue
TV Show- CMT Music Award Shows