George Kelly Collection (1991.05)

Biographical note

George Van Winkle Kelly began working for the Hudson River Day Line as a teenager, probably starting when he was 14-16 years old. He worked as a coat room boy/man on the ALBANY for the 1926 and 1927 seasons, and either the ROBERT FULTON or ALEXANDER HAMILTON for the 1932 and 1933 seasons (accounts differ). After the Hudson River Day Line dissolved in 1948, Kelly became the Chairman of the Hudson River Day Line Alumni Association and helped plan alumni outings on the ALEXANDER HAMILTON, which was now operated by the Hudson River Day Line, Inc., in the 1960s. Kelly also served as a Trustee of the Steamer Alexander Hamilton Society, which was formed to save the former HRDL steamboat from sinking at the Navy pier in Sandy Hook Bay. In addition to staying active with the HRDL community, Kelly also got involved with the Steamship Historical Society of America, serving as the Advertising Manager of the society’s quarterly publication, Steamboat Bill, throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Kelly passed away in 1987.