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Center for Brooklyn History Finding Aids
Guide to the Henry R. Stiles collection of Brooklyn Historical Society Institutional Memory oral histories 2015.030

Oral History Interview with Jessie Kelly, February 23, 2016

Scope and Contents

In this interview Jessie McClintock Kelly (1949- ) recalls how she became involved with the Brooklyn Historical Society in the late 1980s, first as a member of the Board of Trustees, then as President of the Board, and finally, as Executive Director during the BHS building renovation (1999-2003). Kelly recalls fundraising for educational programs and exhibitions throughout this period, in particular board members' efforts lobbying the NYC Board of Education and the City Council for support. She also describes Don Othmer's involvement with the BHS and the large gift he left in his will. She relates many details of the costs and delays involved in the renovation of the BHS's landmark building. Interview conducted by Zaheer Ali.

Biographical / Historical

Jessie McClintock Kelly (1949- ) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the eldest of six children. Her father was a lawyer, and her mother was a homemaker. She attended a Catholic convent school in St. Paul and then Smith College, where she majored in Government and stayed to earn a Master of the Arts of Teaching. In the mid-1970s, she moved with her husband to Brooklyn Heights, where she raised her family, while teaching high school in Manhattan. In the mid-1980s she joined the board of directors of the Brooklyn Historical Society, eventually serving as board President and then Executive Director of the BHS. She lives in Brooklyn Heights.

Conditions Governing Access

This interview can be accessed onsite at Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online at the Oral History Portal.

Subjects

People

Places

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
https://bklynlibrary.org/cbh