Albert Kelly - SEAW Seattle President 1976, 1970

d. October 24, 1984

Born in Spokane, Albert A. Kelly grew up at Spokane's Kelly Gardens. He graduated from Gonzaga University with his degree in Civil Engineering in 1944. After working for a short time with Boeing, he started with W.H. Witt Company in Seattle in 1946, then worked with Worthington and Skilling from the late 1940’s to 1960. In 1960 he opened his own one-man office, Albert Kelly and Associates, which grew to the firm more recently known as KPFF [Kelly, Pittelko, Fritz, & Forssen] Consulting Engineers, with offices in 12 major US cities and over 800 employees.

Significant projects include Plaza 600 in Seattle, Kennedy High School, Ste. Michelle Wineries in Woodinville and Patterson, WA; Captain Cook Hotel and Union Oil Building, Anchorage; Kaanapali Whaler, Maui.

In addition to his two terms as SEAW Seattle President, Al Kelly also served as President of the Consulting Engineers Council of Washington (CECW) 1978-79. As Chair of the CECW Legislative Committee, he led what has become the Architect/Engineers Legislative Council (AELC), which monitors legislation relative to the design professions. A charter member of the state chapter of the American Concrete Institute, he also took an active role in the community with such organizations as New Beginnings shelter for battered women in Seattle, and as a volunteer for the Bellevue Probation Department, United Way, Santiago Water Association, Quinault Property Owners Association, and the Maple Grove and Scenic Beach Association of Camano Island. A member of the Knights of Columbus and the Washington Pioneer Association, he also served on the Gonzaga President’s Advisory Council, the Sacred Heart Parish Facilites Committee, and as a charter member of Bellevue Art Museum.

Gonzaga University recognized Albert Kelly with the Gonzaga Distinguished Alumni Merit Award in 1983. After his death in 1984, KPFF established the Albert A. Kelly Memorial Scholarship Fund at Gonzaga.

Posted March 2012

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