Necrology

Robert Watson Kelso '52

Mar. 5, 1931-Oct. 18, 2022

Robert Watson Kelso ’52, P’80 died in Exeter, N.H., on Oct. 18, 2022. Born on March 5, 1931, in Walden, N.Y., he came to Hamilton from Walden High School. On the Hill, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and majored in political science. For two years, “Kels” represented Psi U on the Intramural Council while organizing and managing its teams, which enjoyed some success during his administration. He reportedly also presided over the preparation of “milk punch” on Sunday mornings of houseparty weekends.

Following graduation, Kels entered Albany Law School in the fall of 1952.  That same year, he married Marilyn W. White on Aug. 23. They had three sons. In 1955, with a law degree in hand, Kels returned with Marilyn to Walden, where he began his legal practice and she started a public school teaching career that lasted until 1997.

For more than 40 years, Kels provided counsel to Walden and the surrounding area on a variety of legal issues. He served the community in other ways as well, including as town justice, with responsibilities for adjudicating cases, presiding at trials, instructing juries, issuing arrest warrants, and generally supervising the court’s operations. He was on the Valley Central School Board of Montgomery, N.Y., which includes the village of Walden, and he was active in the Walden Rotary Club. For a number of years, he was a trustee on the board of Walden’s Josephine-Louise Public Library.

Following Marilyn’s retirement, the Kelsos left Walden and moved north to the town of Adirondack, N.Y. Marilyn knew the town and surrounding area from summers spent working at a camp on nearby Schroon Lake. There, Kels joined the Chestertown Rotary Club, and both he and Marilyn took an active interest in the Seagle Music Colony on Schroon Lake, which has mounted productions of operas and musical theater every summer since 1915.

Several years ago, Kels began to experience declining health, and the family agreed that he and his wife should relocate to Exeter, N.H., where their youngest son, John, lived with his wife and children. For a time, Marilyn and Kels resided in an independent living facility, but later he needed the kind of support that only assisted living could provide.  

Robert W. Kelso is survived by his wife, three sons, including David A. Kelso ’80, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

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