It is with tremendous sorrow that we inform you that Patrick D. Kelly, Dean and Professor Emeritus at UMKC School of Law, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 in Arizona. He was 83. Born in Iowa, Pat was married to Mary (Katy) and had two sons. He was a Lieutenant in the US Naval Reserve and a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University Law School (cum laude). Pat was proud of the fact that he served as President of the American Law Student Association at Drake. Prior to attending law school, Pat was a secondary school teacher, principal and coached baseball and basketball in Doon, Iowa. He always loved intercollegiate sports, and was especially interested in and supportive of women’s sports at both the University of Northern Iowa and UMKC. Pat joined the faculty of UMKC in 1961 as a Professor of Law. He taught Trial Practice, Evidence, Civil Procedure and Missouri Automobile Law. Professor Kelly initiated a clinical Trial Practice program for trial of actual lawsuits by 3L students, a program that helped to train some of the best trial lawyers in Kansas City. Kelly was appointed Dean of UMKC School of Law in 1966. During his tenure as Dean the current Law School was built with money raised by Dean Kelly and a group of dedicated volunteers. Dean Kelly loved to tell stories about the hours and hours he spent on the road with Law School alumni raising money for the new facility! The new building was opened in 1979. Pat returned to research and publishing after he stepped down as Dean in 1978. He retired in 1990 at which time he was granted the status of Dean and Professor Emeritus. Throughout his tenure as lawyer, teacher, dean, researcher and published legal author, Dean Kelly received many honors. He was elected to Order of Coif and twice received the Fisher Foundation Scholarship Award. He was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa and received the KCBA (now KCMBA) Annual Achievement Award in 1967. He was a member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He received the Missouri Bar Foundation’s Spurgeon Smithson Award in 1977. Dean Kelly was active in the law and the Law School until his death. He participated annually in the Pat Kelly Poker Tournament and, when in Kansas City during the warmer months, he spent virtually every day in his office at the School. At the time of his death, he was still working on a volume he was writing on presumptions in the law, a topic that grew as he worked on it and appeared to take on a life of its own. Dean Kelly’s contributions to UMKC School of Law and to the Kansas City and Missouri legal communities cannot be overstated. He will be missed. Contributions in memory of Dean Kelly are being received by UMKC Law Foundation, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110. If you have questions regarding how to make a contribution, please contact Diane Pike, Director of Development, 816-235-2441. View Dean Kelly's obituary here.