Ellie Harvey Kelly

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St. George’s Garden Club, Zone VI, and family and friends of the late Ellen Harvey “Ellie” Kelly have established The Ellen Harvey Kelly Medal in her memory—the first GCA medal for advocacy. The award was approved by the GCA’s Executive Board in September 2024.

A member of St. George’s GC from 1960 until her death in 2023 at age 94, Ellie was described by The Baltimore Sun as a “civic leader” and “trailblazer in environmental affairs.” Her lifetime of work on behalf of a healthy planet was rooted in her childhood as witness to the encroachment of the suburbs into the Maryland countryside.

In an interview with Ellie in the spring 2016 issue of the GCA’s Bulletin, Ellie mentioned that she had testified before Congress in the 1970s to expand the number of plants protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Subsequently, Ellie motivated club members nationwide and worked with the Alaska Coalition and others to build grassroots support for the protection of Alaska’s wilderness. She reported that “In a single week, more letters arrived in Washington from garden club members than from the NRA!”

The 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act—the most significant land conservation measure in the history of the nation—protected 104 million acres and created 10 new national parks.
As an ardent opponent of billboard blight, she was one of three founding members of the Coalition for Scenic Beauty formed in 1982. The organization would later become Scenic America.

Ellie was the third chair of the National Affairs & Legislation (NAL) Committee (1977–81) and co-hostess of the first NAL Committee meeting in Washington, DC, in 1983. She is credited with developing the process by which the NAL and Conservation committees identify the GCA’s priorities for legislative action. Ellie was the 1982 recipient of the GCA’s Margaret Douglas Medal for dedication to environmental education.

The Ellen Harvey Kelly Medal may be awarded to GCA club members and non-members and recipients will not be limited to those who advocate for legislative action. The honor is intended to be interpreted broadly and may be bestowed for exceptional advocacy in support of any cause related to the purpose of the GCA.
The GCA has commissioned award-winning American figure sculptor Eugene Daub to design The Ellen Harvey Kelly Medal. He previously designed the GCA’s J. Sherwood Chalmers photography medal. His work includes the Rosa Parks statue in National Statuary Hall in the US Capitol.

New GCA awards may be established upon the recommendation of the Awards Committee and approval by the Executive Board with a minimum contribution of $150,000 to the General Medal Fund.

Press Coverage:

• Irvine Nature Center's newsletter The Fern
• Scenic America
• Maryland Environmental Trust, MET Newsletter