HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989 04 07 Kelso wears many hats in his city jobA moment in the sun
Kelso wears any hats in his city job
Kip Kelso Jr., left, chats with City Manager Robb
McClary at Sebastian Cemetery.
Sun photo by Chris Fletcher
By Chris Fletcher
On the face; Kip Kelso Jr.'s job
seems to be very average.
He's a maintenance man - a mainte-
nance supervisor. Mowing the grass,
weed -eating the weeds, trimming the
trees - that's what he does. He keeps
records of the grounds he cares for and
has even repaired a sprinkler system.
Certainly, everything is normal
enough about this.
It's a few of Kelso's other duties
that some people might find 'a little
disturbing, like checking to make sure
the graves are dug deep enough. Or
keeping the tombstones tidy and
straight. Or listening to grown men
cry.
It seems Kelso is not just a mainte-
nance man after all. He is the caretaker
for the Sebastian Municipal Ceme-
tery, and that means he has many jobs,
not the least of which means being an
all-around good person. That is a
position for which he is totally quali-
fied, according to City Manager Robb
McClary, his indirect boss.
"Kip is one of the nicest guys in this
community," McClary says. "He has
a perfect personality for the kind of
job he does."
Kelso is a cheerful man, who is
quick with a joke and always smiling.
His is an understanding face, and his
voice is reassuring. These things are
indispensable in executing what may
be his most important task: trying to
make those who come and mourn as
comfortable as --possible and listening
when they need to talk.
"I'm a PR man," he says. "Almost
everyday, I am approached by people
who are upset and need to talk about
their problems."
Usually, he will serve these people
a cup of coffee and sit them down on
the bench in his offic/tool shed.
"They just need someone to listen,"
he explains.
Things aren't always so serene,
however.
"We've seen a few haymakers," he
said, indicating that learning to duck
has been a valuable part of his train-
ing. "And there are family disputes
now and then," he adds. Place browd
control under Kelso's list of duties.
He says he does not think about
death that often, which one might
think would be a hazard of the job.
"It's kind of like being a doctor," he
says. "At first, it makes you a little
squeamish. Bug, after awhile, you get
used to it and it becomes just a job."
This is not entirely time. Kelso has
put a great deal of thought into both
death and his job.
"Every one of the people under the
tombstones have a history; and we try
to give them the respect they had in
life," he said. '
He has done this in part by greatly
improving the facilities he's in charge
of. When Kelso accepted the job in
1983, "the place looked like a sand
dune with tombstones on it," says
Artie Mayer Jr., his co-worker.
Today, the cemetery. looks "im-
maculate," according to McClary,
and this seems to be the general con-
sensus. The grass is probably the
greenest and best kept in Sebastian,
save maybe the golf course.
Evidently, he is a slick money
manager as well.
McClary said, "I'm not saying he is
a penny-pincher, but they seem to
leave his hand flatter than they went
in.,,
Kelso's quality work has earned
him two awards, once as employee of
the month for the city of Sebastian,
and with Mayer for significant con-
tibutions to the beauty of the area,
called the City Appearance Award.
What may be his greatest attribute
is his love for his city and the people,
who live here. A
"It's a great area," he says.. "I have
no problems. Every once in a while, I
sit back and think how lucky I am."
McClary said, "We are lucky to
have Kip."
That surely is true.
Kelso is not just a mainenance man.
He is a grief counselor, a trusted
employee, a caring citizen, and most
of all, a good friend.
Sebastian Sun Week of April 7,1989 Pg. 2-A