100.545.1-2

Jack Shelley, on January 14, 1986, speaking at the annual meeting of the Ames Heritage Association (later re-named the Ames Historical Society) in the Ames Public Library auditorium. The topic of his talk was the major factors contributing to the success of three Boone County historical projects: the Mamie Eisenhower birthplace, the Boone & Scenic Railroad museum, and the Kate Shelley memorial. Shelley, who grew up in Boone, was at the time of his talk the president of the Boone County Historical Society. Shelley is the nephew of local hero Kate Shelley, who in 1881 at the age of fifteen notified authorities when a railroad bridge washed out during a storm. He had been a war correspondent during World War II, a journalist, and a radio/television personality. Shelley, now in his 90s [2006] and a professor emeritus of the Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication at Iowa State University, lives in Ames.