4H was instrumental in Kelly Ward’s development into a nationally-recognized expert on work and family and academic affairs. The 4-H Pledge was one of her first experiences in public speaking.
It was 1977 when Judy Bailey (now Mrs. D’Abalo) packed her 4-H Horse Judging Club members into the back bed of her pickup truck and headed south to Richmond, Virginia. The girls slept in the back bed of the pickup truck and the boys took the tent. That’s how they rolled in the late 1970s. This particular competition was a pivotal one for young Kelly Ward of Cape May Court House. She earned the overall award for the weekend in the Junior Division for her ability to judge and defend her placing choices. She was walking around the hall chatting with friends when she heard her name announced in a large auditorium filled with her peers, and she was completely caught off guard. She could not believe that she had won. This event had an immense impact on her confidence as a young equestrian, and she told the story often over the years.
Mr. French was Kelly’s very first pony project. He was ornery and she was determined. The day came when she earned the title of Reserve Champion in Showmanship on Mr. French at the local 4-H County Fair. This was a big deal back in the day as there were a lot of horses in the each class. Her brother Jeffrey Ward remembers hearing Kelly’s name announced over the loudspeaker as he was walking to his car. He never considered that she might actually win the overall award with that pony. Kelly’s confidence continued to grow.
Kelly would go on to achieve many more accolades as an equestrian. Even though she loved competing, she also enjoyed giving back to the equestrian community. In 2010, Kelly volunteered at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. She pursued her AQHA judging card and served as judge for our local 4-H fairs and Cumberland County shows. She loved being part of the ‘Queen Team’ for her daughter Lucy, the 2016 Palouse Empire Rodeo Queen. Because she thought that the kids at the Palouse Empire Fair deserved more riding time, she started a 4-H Game Day, which is now named for her.
When it came to horses she always had time for some tips and advice. Her article “He’s Just Not That Into You,” which was published in Horse and Rider magazine in 2006, was a true example of her keen wit and ability to convey her horse sense to others. She wrote about her tumultuous relationship with her first horse as an adult, Zip, and says, ”He dumped me, plain and simple, but again I found excuses.” Eventually she sold that horse and purchased Levi, a stocky solid bay who wasn’t as flashy as Zip but not as flighty either. In 2009 Kelly earned a buckle on Levi at the Northwest Horse Challenge in Eugene, Oregon, where horses from all over the country compete in an indoor obstacle course of trail challenges. She told me Levi would not do the last challenge – walking under a waterfall – but she never gave up and when the others were packing up to leave she was working him through the challenge.
Horses were only one of the things that Kelly Ward did well. She ended her career as Vice-Provost for Faculty Development and Recognition at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, where she had also been a professor and department chair. During her academic career, she co-authored the book “Academic Motherhood,” about how faculty manages work and family. Family and adventure were very important to Kelly. She and her husband Gene and their three children Daisy, Lucy, and Henry traveled extensively together and even spent a semester living in France and Switzerland while she worked on a different book. She spoke at conferences all over the country and the world, including a 2018 presentation in Thailand on women’s issues relative to work and family. Kelly attended Our Lady Star of the Sea and Wildwood Catholic before undergraduate work at West Chester University and the University of Montana. She earned an MPA and PhD at Penn State, and worked at the University of Montana and Oklahoma State University before Washington State. In her early years she supported her educational pursuits by working a Hugit’s, Acme, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut.
With all the academic accomplishments that Kelly made in her short life, she never forgot her roots. Each summer she would return to the Jersey Shore and hang out on the beach with her high school friends and extended family. One staple that would never be missed was attending the 4-H fair in July. Kelly and her parents (Irene and Ron Ward) would walk the fair grounds and of course, eat dinner at the chicken bar-b-cue. She would delight in seeing the barns decorated with the various club’s themes and we would sit for hours and watch the horse show in the blazing July heat. In recent years she judged the Fair and other area horse shows while home for the summer.
Kelly traveled with her family last summer to Barcelona, Spain. She flew back to Philadelphia, made one last quick trip to Stone Harbor with her friends, and returned to Pullman. She couldn’t wait to spend time with her horse Eddie, and she was planning to ride him in a local 4th of July parade. While leading Eddie on a walk through the neighborhood, Kelly slipped and hit her head. In pain, she walked Eddie home, and her son Henry drove her to the hospital. By the time she arrived at the hospital she was unconscious. She never regained consciousness and passed away on July 8, 2018. Kelly had a zest for living that was evident in everything she did. She had a great work ethic, she loved her family and she loved horses.
4-H was instrumental in Kelly’s growth and development as a girl, as a young woman, and as an accomplished professional. She never forgot her 4-H years and friends, and she rarely missed a chance to watch each new generation of 4-H’ers show their animals and projects. As you walk the barns and look at the exhibits, know that Kelly would be there with you, pledging ‘my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, and my Health to better living for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”
Please join us on August 9th at Maverick Art Studio (6 to 8 p.m.) for a painting fundraiser to honor Kelly Ward. Proceeds will benefit the walking path currently being constructed at Washington State University in her honor. Register online at maverickartstudio.com or call 609-465-9500
