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VOL.34, NO.10
More than half his life at the Post
OCTOBER 2022
I N S I D E …
PHOTO BY MARVIN JOSEPH/THE WASHINGTON POST
By Margaret Foster John Kelly, the intrepid writer of a daily column for the Washington Post for almost two decades, can’t quite believe he’s turning 60 this year. After all, he plays in a rock ‘n’ roll band and works as hard as ever. “I remember when I first started at the Post when I was 26, seeing the grizzled old newsroom people and thinking, ‘Oh man they’re just so out of it.’ “And now, I am one of those people! I see both sides now,” Kelly said with a chuckle. [Later this month, Kelly will be the keynote speaker at the 23rd annual Beacon 50+Expos, returning to in-person events after two years of virtual programs.] His daily column, called “John Kelly’s Washington,” has been one of the Post’s most enduring features, having been around in some form since 1947, when Bill Gold started writing “The District Line.” Gold passed the baton to Bob Levey in 1981, and in 2004 Kelly took it over from Levey (who now writes a monthly column for the Beacon).
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D.C. native; Air Force brat Kelly was born in Washington, D.C., to parents who were both Washingtonians. (He’s a descendant of Col. Jehiel Brooks of the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast). But because Kelly’s father was in the U.S. Air Force, the family moved often, living all over the world — from Japan to England and eventually to Maryland. “It was nice to see a lot of the country and a lot of the world,” Kelly said, admitting that frequent moves aren’t always ideal for children. “It does make you resilient in a way. When it works out best, you are curious about the world because you’ve seen a little bit of it.” Kelly attended the University of Maryland in College Park, receiving a B.A. in
For the past 18 years, John Kelly has written a beloved Washington Post column Monday to Friday, following in the footsteps of Bob Levey and others before him. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Kelly said. He will be the keynote speaker at the Beacon’s two 50+Expos taking place this month.
English. His first job (other than restaurant gigs as a busboy and dishwasher) was a three-year stint as an editorial assistant at an association for association executives. In his free time, the scrappy young writer published freelance articles in local publications, including the Post. When a temporary position as deputy editor of the Weekend section opened at the Post, his editor offered the job to Kelly.
“They knew me from my writing, and they said, ‘We need to fill a slot for nine months, and at the end of that you’ll be gone, but would you like it?’” Kelly said yes, and the rest is “right place, right time” history. After the nine-month stint was over, Kelly was invited to stay at the Post, where See JOHN KELLY, page 44
ARTS & STYLE
A widow’s wanderlust in The Trip to Bountiful at Ford’s Theatre; plus, books about sports, and Bob Levey on whether to give it away or spend it page 41 FITNESS & HEALTH 8 k What we know about Long Covid k Foods to help you sleep better LAW & MONEY 27 k Don’t panic in a down market k Ways to feel richer LIVING BOLDLY 34 k Newsletter for D.C. residents
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