Retired Judge H.A. Kelso dies at age 92

Senior Judge H.A. Kelso remained active in politics and community events throughout his life. At left, Kelso, seated in the foreground, attends the dedication of new offices at the Vernon County Courthouse in March 2003. Kelso, who said the offices are impressive, added that he was pleased to attend the open house. file photo

By Steve Moyer

Nevada Daily Mail

Well-known local jurist and conservationist, Judge H.A. Kelso, died yesterday at the Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan. 92-year-old Kelso was a former Vernon County prosecutor, probate judge and circuit court judge in a career that spanned four decades.

First elected probate judge in 1946, Kelso was appointed 28th Circuit Court judge by former Missouri Governor John Dalton in 1963 and served until 1976.

Tom Pyle, Vernon County Democratic chairman, said he had known Kelso for many years and considered him to be an asset to the community.

"I knew him back when he was prosecutor and my wife worked for him," Pyle said. "I hunted with him some and knew him all these years. He was quite a gentleman here in the community."

Virginia Pyle was Kelso's secretary and had fond memories of working with him.

"The judge was a mighty fine man," Virginia said. "We had a family atmosphere up on the third floor of the courthouse. He was a nice man to work for, we were good friends all through those years."

Bernice Dobson was elected circuit clerk in 1970 and worked with Kelso for many years.

"I was the first woman clerk for him, it was fun working for him," Dobson said.

After working for Kelso Dobson said she could anticipate some of his actions. "I could almost tell what he was going to decide when I started writing his orders by the way he talked," Dobson said.

Dobson recalled Kelso's kindness to those he worked with and his fondness for entertaining people at his home. Kelso had a farm near Horton where he would invite local people as well as well-known state and national figures. Most recently, Kelso hosted a catfish feed for Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton.

"He was a nice person to work for. We would go out to the farm and his wife would make homemade ice cream and we would have a good time," Dobson said.

Vernon County Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Ewing III also recalled Kelso's kindness.

"Judge Kelso had left the bench well before I became a practicing lawyer," Ewing said. "I never got to practice law in front of him, but I can comment on him as a man who was very kind to me as a young lawyer. He was nice enough to regularly invite all the Ewing lawyers out to the ranch to hunt and fish. He always had a bit of wisdom to impart to me as a young lawyer when I was freezing in the duck blind with water leaking in my boot. He was the consummate gentleman."

Service arrangements, to be at Evergreen Memorial Chapel, had not been made by press time.