J. Joseph Kelly

My name is Carol Kelly and I am writing on behalf of my deceased husband, J. Joseph Kelly (3/3/36-2/15/2020).

Joe worked for the PA for 49 years. J. Joseph Kelly began his career at the PA right after graduation from Manhattan College with Civil and Structural Engineering credentials. This was his FIRST and ONLY Job.

I'm sure there are records of his involvement in many, many projects. These are some of the ones I know of...March 5, 1976 I found an award for Achievement from PA.......There's an award for the George Washington Bridge Upper Deck Replacement 1977-1978..... In 1989 Joe traveled to San Francisco to consult on damage to Golden Gate Bridge as a result of San Francisco-Oakland Earthquake. He also traveled to Europe, England, and Paris to consult on bridge structures. He was also actively involved in the construction of the Twin Towers. Joe was a man of few words and did not always share many of his accomplishments.

Joe survived the 1993 bombing of PA and was instrumental in the repair, He was also a survivor of 9/11. He escaped Tower One on that fateful day from the 74th floor. We have pictures and his clothes from that day. 9/11 is a memory and loss that Joe and I and our family never recovered from.

When Joe arrived home, covered in ash, bloody and exhausted and suffering pain in his legs and back (a piece of ceiling from Tower One had hit him as he was helping another person). He was in shock as we watched again the implosion of the Twin Towers and it was heartbreaking for Joe to call the PA number to say he survived knowing how many did not. Joe continued to work for the PA for four more years commuting to New Jersey When Joe did retire in 2005, he subsequently had a stroke which revealed he had had many "silent heart attacks." He also suffered from COPD and developed Parkinson's Disease, He succumbed to the ravages of the disease on Feb. 15, 2020.

Joe was a quiet man, but an intelligent, hardworking, deeply committed employee of PA. While these accounts may not be what you are looking for to commemorate PA anniversary they are realities of some of the history of Joe's tenure at the PA.