NAHANT— The Board of Selectmen is now accepting applications for the Charles Kelley Annual Scholarship.
Any Nahant resident who has been accepted to a two- or four-year accredited college is eligible for the $1,000 award, which was established in memory of resident and public servant Charles Kelley.
The town’s longest-serving selectman, Kelley spent 33 years on Nahant’s board and is also believed to be the longest-serving selectman in Essex County history.
His political career began when he was elected to the School Committee in 1950 at age 22. He served as chairman of the committee from 1952 to 1955 and has been credited by many local officials as having played an instrumental role in the planning and building of the Johnson Elementary School.
When asked about the length of his service, Kelley was once quoted as saying, “I am not out to break records. I’m in politics because I love it, and I hope I’m able to do something for my town.”
In honor of his decades of work, a scholarship in Kelley’s name was established by Nahant residents and the Board of Selectmen in the mid-1990s.
Board of Selectmen Chair Mark Cullinan, who worked briefly alongside Kelley as a member of the Housing Authority in the 1970s, attested to his dedication to his community.
“He was there before there was a town manager, and he was the town manager, basically,” Cullinan said. “I knew him growing up and … he was totally dedicated to the town and he was just a great guy. His family was the town.”
To apply, applicants should go to the nahant.org homepage, click on the scholarship tab, and find the Charles Kelley scholarship application, along with detailed instructions. Applicants are asked not to include their names on their essays.
Completed applications should be mailed to the Board of Selectmen at 334 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA, 01908 by April 16.
Those with questions can contact the Town Hall at 781-581-0088.
“I think people are getting a new sense of what public service is about,” Cullinan said. “Starting with essential workers and people rallying around testing sites and volunteering their time, this past year emphasized even more the importance of public service.”
