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A RESOLUTION honoring Rosa Jane (Phillips) Ray Kelly on her 90th birthday. 1
WHEREAS, Rosa Jane Phillips was born on February 24, 1933, at the depth of the 2
Great Depression, on a small farm in Lewisburg, Logan County, Kentucky. She was born 3
to Z.L. and Laurine Phillips. These early childhood years during the Great Depression 4
influenced her lifelong sense of frugality, desire for education, and strong work ethic; and 5
WHEREAS, she attended the local Lewisburg School and attended and played 6
piano for Lewisburg’s First United Methodist Church; and 7
WHEREAS, her mother instilled in her children a desire for education. Following 8
graduation from Lewisburg High School in 1951, Jane chose to pursue a career in nursing 9
and was accepted into Murray State College’s first nursing class that was affiliated with 10
the Owensboro Daviess County Hospital; and 11
WHEREAS, in September 1954, Jane Kelly received her diploma from Murray 12
State College. One month later she became registered in the state of Kentucky after 13
successfully passing the Kentucky State Board of Nursing licensing examination; and 14
WHEREAS, on Easter Sunday in 1954, Jane married Graves County native Bob 15
Ray. They moved to Mayfield, Kentucky, where she began her nursing career. The young 16
couple had two daughters, Susan Jane Ray and Sally Jean Ray; and 17
WHEREAS, from 1954 through 1971, she gained extensive nursing experience 18
working as the Evening/Day Shift Supervisor of nurses at the hospital. She also served as 19
a Private Duty Nurse at the Mayfield Hospital, and later as Head Nurse at Mayfield’s 20
Community Hospital; and 21
WHEREAS, she became viewed as a role model, advisor, and mentor for the newer 22
nurses and aides, inspiring their improvement of the delivery of nursing care and their 23
own pursuit of more education; and 24
WHEREAS, in December 1969, her husband Bob died of heart disease following a 25
lengthy illness. While this era provided increased opportunities for single mothers to 26
combine parenting with work outside the home, these young women often met with 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1300
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scheduling challenges, wage discrimination, and difficulty in finding family-friendly 1
jobs; and 2
WHEREAS, she quickly realized that her job at the time would not enable her to 3
satisfactorily care for her daughters and meet financial obligations. At the age of 36, with 4
the support of family, she returned as a full-time student to Murray State University in 5
1971. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Education Degree; 6
and 7
WHEREAS, her passion for nursing eventually propelled her into the role of Head 8
of the Department of Nursing, a position in which she served from 1974 to 1979; and 9
WHEREAS, in 1977 while at Morehead, she met and married Col. (Ret.) Arthur L. 10
Kelly, a widowed father of five children: Sue Ann Ballard, Dan Kelly, Debbie Hissam, 11
Steve Kelly, and Khrista Kelly; and 12
WHEREAS, in 1979, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly moved to Frankfort, Kentucky, when Jane 13
accepted a new position as Director, Health and Human Services, Vocational 14
Education/Workforce Development, Kentucky Department of Education, Frankfort. In 15
this role she provided oversight and worked collaboratively with secondary and post-16
secondary health educators throughout Kentucky in developing, revising, and 17
implementing curricula in the allied health professions; and 18
WHEREAS, Jane Kelly helped to develop more than 20 new allied health programs 19
for Kentucky’s technical and vocational schools. Among these programs is the Kentucky 20
Medicaid Nurse Aide Program; and 21
WHEREAS, Jane Kelly rejuvenated and strengthened the Kentucky state chapter of 22
Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). As state advisor for the organization 23
for more than twenty years, Mrs. Kelly established, organized, and executed the annual 24
HOSA State Leadership Conference, and coordinated opportunities for Kentucky’s 25
students to travel to the National Leadership Conference; and 26
WHEREAS, Jane Kelly served a multitude of professional and support 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1300
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organizations at the local, state, and national levels. These included: the Kentucky 1
Allied Health Consortium, Southern Regional Education Board, Vocational and 2
Technical Education Association, American Nurses Association, Kentucky Nurses 3
Association, Kentucky League of Nursing, National League of Nursing, Advisory Board 4
of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Educational Satellite Program, Health 5
Development Association of Northeastern Kentucky, American Association of Medical 6
Assistants, Council on Public Education, Kentucky Allied Health Consortium, American 7
Vocational Association, Health Occupations Student of America, Southern Association 8
of Colleges and Schools, and Hart Supported Living Council; and 9
WHEREAS, after 41 years in the workforce, Jane Kelly retired in 1995. Soon after, 10
she returned to the workforce part-time with the Legislative Research Commission; and 11
WHEREAS, Jane Kelly is among the strong women who challenged gender norms 12
regarding a woman’s role in the home and child-rearing, demanded access to education 13
and jobs, fought to be liberated from the stigma of single motherhood, and embraced new 14
ideals about equality and citizenship; and 15
WHEREAS, throughout her 90 years of life, Mrs. Kelly's love and devotion to her 16
family and friends has never faltered. In turn, she is loved, respected, and appreciated by 17
all who know her; 18
NOW, THEREFORE, 19
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 20
Kentucky: 21
Section 1. The Senate hereby recognizes and celebrates the life and 22
accomplishments of Rosa Jane (Phillips) Ray Kelly on her 90th birthday. 23
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 24
Resolution to Senator Gex Williams. 25