The Lawyer Rides a Tractor

By Michelle Bradford
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Much of Gene and Joye Kelley's adult lives have been focused on advancing the futures of their five children. The hard work has paid off. Their oldest daughter Jodie Kelley and son Glenn Kelley practice law with Gene at the Kelley Law Firm in Rogers. Another daughter, Ashley Kelley, is communications director for the Rogers School District; daughter Heather Ellington is director of development at Circle of Life Hospice in Springdale; and the couple's youngest, Shelby Kelley, is a lawyer in Washington.

The home in which Kelley was reared was poor but full of love. He and Joye parlayed that into something more. "Joye and I worked hard to encourage our kids to make good grades and get into the best schools," Kelley explains. "We did it so they'd know they can do the very best, and be the very best there is. "As I see it, each generation builds a plateau to help the next do a little better. I didn't do as well as I could have in high school. I wasn't conscientious enough. As a parent, I wanted to make sure my children had all the right tools to succeed."

Kelley and Joye built their dream home 32 years ago on 110 acres east of Rogers. Their English Tudor-style house has a magnificent mountaintop view. Trails on the property wind through manicured gardens to a fabulous swimming pool. As head of the house, Kelley has done much of the work himself. The front-end loader on his tractor is his prized possession. If he wasn't a lawyer, he says, he'd be a landscape designer. Ashley Kelley says her father loves to gaze around his home and envision something new. "In his backyard, or for the house, year after year, Dad's always got something in the hopper," she says. "He wants to resurrect the gazebo [which was blown over by a storm], and he's looking at a kitchen expansion. He'll do anything to fit more of his family in the dining room." Friend Ron Palmer, former owner of AQ Chicken House, says Kelley transformed the Kelley Law Firm in downtown Rogers from an old computer shop. "He's got a great sense of style, too," says Palmer, who recently traveled in Italy with Kelley. "He likes to shop, and he likes to look good. Gene's become quite the shopping guru. He's a suit-and-tie kind of guy."

In the future, Kelley plans to phase out his role in the social work aspect of private adoptions and focus more on the legal side. And he's looking for new ways to contribute to the community. "Arkansas has been good to me," Kelley says. "The people in this state have allowed me to do things I never could have done alone. Joye and I want to help the community and target a need. We have an eye on what's good for the people."