Kelly Bray looks at the leather-bound diploma presented by Bacone College President Rev. Dr. Robert J. Duncan, Jr. on Oct. 20, 2008. The former editor of The Baconian passed away on March 25 after a lengthy illness. Graveside services were March 29 at Fort Gibson Cemetery. (Baconian Online file photo)

Editor's Note: Michael Bray (Kelly's son) has indeed enrolled at Bacone for the upcoming fall semester as a journalism major. Watch for future bylines as Michael covers Warrior sports.

KELLY BRAY:

1966 – 2010

Bacone College graduate

A.A. in Journalism

Former Editor of

The Baconian

“In 1990, I walked in off the street to Bacone and told Ann Shackelford that I wanted to write. She said to me, ‘First of all, can you write sports?’ “

By Kelly Bray’s own account, that introduction to Bacone and to The Baconian was a tribute.

Bray, 44, died on Thursday, March 25, after a lengthy illness. A graveside service was held at Fort Gibson City Cemetery.

He officially received his degree from Bacone on Oct. 20, 2008 in a special ceremony held in the office of Vice President and Dean of Faculty Dr. Robert K. Brown.

Bacone President Rev. Dr. Robert J. Duncan, Jr.  awarded the leather-bound degree Bray had earned more than 12 years earlier.

The former editor of The Baconian originally was to have received his A.A. in Journalism in 1996. But the degree and transcript were put on hold.

Bray he went into complete renal failure 15 years ago and spent four hours in dialysis twice each week.

At that Oct. 2008 ceremony, his wife Janice, son Michael, his Bacone faculty advisor Ann Marie Shackelford and members of the Baconian Team surrounded Bray.

In an Oct. 21, 2008 Muskogee Phoenix story, Shackelford described Bray to reporter Cathy Spaulding.

“This is a guy who never gives up,” Shackelford said. “He is a wonderful example of a student who comes to college later in life. With everything he had going on with his health and raising a child, he could have just said, ‘I can’t do this anymore’.”

Shackelford, now faculty adviser for two Bacone student publications, said Bray was a good person to show as an example of how anyone rises above their problems.

“Writing, management, perseverance – that’s Kelly,” Shackelford said in the Muskogee Phoenix story.

A 1984 graduate of Fort Gibson High School, Bray began working at the Fort Gibson Times when he was 18.

He was one of Shackelford’s first editors, after she came to Bacone full-time in 1989.

During his academic coursework, Bray did an internship at the Muskogee Phoenix in sports.

“I kind of consider it a long internship, from 1995 to 2007,” said Bray in the Oct. 21, 2008 story, because he continued doing freelance sports writing for the Phoenix until 2007.

During his journalism career, he was also sports editor for newspapers in Checotah and Eufaula.

Shackelford wrote the following comments to the Muskogee Phoenix online announcement of Bray’s death.

“I had the honor of having Kelly Bray as a Bacone College journalism major and as editor of The Baconian. He was a great writer even when he arrived to our newsroom and became even better.

Kelly loved Bacone College. He spoke at the dedication of the Palmer Center because of a personal invitation from former Bacone President Dr. Dennis Tanner.

His son Michael plans to come to Bacone this fall as Journalism major. In fact, we visited a couple of weeks ago. Michael will follow in the footsteps of his wonderful father.

Kelly also loved OU football - a topic in which we shared many conversations.

This is a not just a former student, he was a proud alum. We kept in contact and I can say that not only was Kelly Bray my friend, I was privileged to be his friend.

Rest in peace, Kelly; your son Michael will be well taken care of at Bacone.”