Dr. Ed Kelly

where he’s studied...
Quincy College, AS
Suffolk University, BA
University of Maine, MAT
Boston University, DEd


The morning of September 28, 1962 is burned into my memory like few other events. This was the morning that I was accepted by Quincy Junior College as a freshman. I did have a GED diploma from the Army and a high school equivalency diploma from the state of Massachusetts (which I was to receive the next day in the mail). It’s not that I didn’t apply to other colleges (many), but I never got beyond the application form because to those colleges, I was not a real high school graduate. For me this wasn’t the second chance, or the last chance - it was my only chance!

In 1962, Quincy Junior College was the Coddington Building – it had the president’s office, all of the deans’ and faculty offices, the bookstore, the library, the science lab, the auditorium (third floor), and all of the classrooms. Since the Quincy Public Schools used Coddington during the day, college classes did not start until 3:00pm on a four day schedule: Monday-Wednesday classes and Tuesday-Thursday classes. Even though I was not from Quincy, I didn’t feel isolated because even at that early date, over 50 percent of the students did not come from Quincy. There were many like me from Dorchester, other parts of Boston, Milton, Weymouth, Hull, Braintree, Holbrook, Plymouth, and other cities and towns.

What struck me straightaway was the close bonds between the faculty, staff, administration and the students. They cared about us in ways other colleges wouldn’t or couldn’t care – ease of access, getting extra help, a kind word of encouragement, and in numerous other ways. I can tell you every professor I had during my two years at Quincy Junior College, so indelible an impression they created on my mind.

Quincy Junior College then and Quincy College now creates value: an excellent education at affordable prices. I’m a walking example of that value: When I graduated from Quincy, I transferred to Suffolk (as a full junior) for my bachelor’s degree; then, to the University of Maine for a master’s degree, and then on to Boston University for a doctorate. Each of those schools accepted all my Quincy College credits without question.

When I crossed to the other side of the podium 15 years ago and started teaching full time at Quincy College, I saw the same close bond between students and teachers I had experienced decades earlier. These were good students eager to learn and the faculty was equally eager to teach. Of all the schools where I have taught, from junior high school to graduate school, Quincy College students have a special place in my hear. Perhaps because they are my mirror image, or perhaps because they are hard working and deserving and are tomorrow’s leaders, I am thankful to have been in their company. I take no small amount of pride to say, “I teach at Quincy College.”

Quincy College then and now is not mortar and brick, dollars and cents – it is an institution of human beings seeking a better life, and it doesn’t matter whether they are white or Asian, young or old, from Quincy or Nigeria, man or woman. It is the brotherhood of learning that brings us to Quincy College.

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