John Eells Kelley Member #8

Eells became a full time BARC member in 1959.  Somehow the "elders" of the club never called him John - it was always Eells (phonetic: eeeels) Eells was a champion high school swimmer, an excellent go-kart driver and best of all - he had a car so we could all pile in and go to the races.  Eells dad was John Kelley Sr. and an early sports car man. Mr. Kelley loved SAABs and drove a 356 Porsche.  Pop Kelley was very instrumental in getting one of the first PCA meetings in the US to the Binghamton area (Vestal, NY).  Kelley Sr. was an avid photographer and passed down gear and skills to Eells.  Here are some shots of the Watkins Glen Grand Prix of 1959 shot by a very young J. Eells Kelley. 

Note please there are no garages.  Even the very bigtime Kelso and Cunningham teams are working on their cars in the dirt.  And they were given the best places in the whole paddock.  Others just had to get by with what was there.  Somehow it always worked.

Chuck Dietrichs Elva Mk IV.  Look at the starter laying in the grass	Kelso-Chev being prepared in pits.  Cunningham Lister and Holbert Porsche in background	A typical SCCA racer	Rich Lyeth's Hi-Torque Special.  Ferrari with Chrysler Power & a fin	A  Berkeley in the pits
Formula  3 car	Don Auray in his F3	50's space frame at its finest	The wife is saying "Let's go to the lake and put that dumb car away"	Team Roosevelts carrier was the best of its day