THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 11, 1996 TAG: 9606110023
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 39 lines
U.S. District Judge Richard B. Kellam will be buried today in the historic churchyard of Nimmo United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach, where so many of his kinsmen rest.
Judge Kellam's passing at age 87 leaves a sad void at the federal courthouse in Norfolk where he had worked tirelessly - and cheerfully - for 29 years. Judge Kellam and his devotion to work were legendary. He never took seriously a switch to senior status in 1981 which allowed him to enter semiretirement and reduce his workload.
While his has been a very public life, Judge Kellam was at heart a family man. And what a family it was.
For many years the Kellam name was synonymous with Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County. The Kellams were a dynasty of sorts - a family of high achievers who shaped the area in which they lived.
One of 16 children of Abel and Clara Kellam, Richard Kellam was born in the same stately house he lived in until his death - a stone's throw from the old Princess Anne Courthouse.
His father served as clerk of the circuit court for 20 years. His better-known brother, Sidney, was a Byrd Democrat and a local power broker. After Sidney Kellam's death almost a decade ago, Judge Kellam emerged as the self-effacing, gentle patriarch of the Kellam family.
Now only 82-year-old William P. Kellam survives - the last of the 12 Kellam brothers.
Judge Kellam's death marks the end of an era. He rose to the top of his profession without finishing college or attending law school. He prepared for his illustrious legal career by reading law books.
In 1960, the General Assembly appointed Richard Kellam to the Circuit Court in Virginia Beach. Seven years later President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the federal bench.
He'll be remembered for his wisdom and kindness. by CNB