Seaside Lodge of Masons was pleased to have Brother Eugene Kelley in attendance to receive his 50 Year Service medal. Very Worshipful John Arsenault presented the 50 Year Service medal to Brother Gene in open lodge.

Worshipful Arnold Thibodeau presented Brother Gene’s work history to Seaside Lodge. In attendance was his son, Donald E.Kelley, to see the presentation and observe him receiving this well-deserved award.

Brother Eugene W. Kelley was born on September 10, 1931, the oldest of four children. He went to East Side grade school and graduated Boothbay Harbor High School in 1949 at the age of 17. He worked at Rice Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay until the fall of 1949.

He enlisted into the United States Air Force in December of 1949 and went to San Antonio Air Force Base in Texas for his basic training. After more schooling, he became an aircraft mechanic. Brother Gene was a crew chief on B-36 bombers. He went to an Air Force base in Illinois for flight engineer school for B-29 bombers during the Korean War.

Brother Gene got out of the Air Force in July of 1954 and married his best girl, Doris Keith, the same month. He could not find a job anywhere at that time, so he re-entered the United States Air Force in August of 1954 and was sent to Limestone (Maine) Air Force base, later Loring Air Force base.

He was a crew chief on B-36 and B-52 bombers as Limestone was the first base to get them in 1956. Brother Gene started in 1956 to fly on KC-97 tankers as a flight engineer. From Limestone his next duty station was Lockbourne Air Force base in Ohio. In December 1959, he came to Bangor Air Force base.

Brother Gene received his Entered Apprentice degree in the old Opera House by Very Worshipful Sherwood Leighton. As time passed he was transferred to Yokota Air Force base in Japan in October of 1961. Then in April of 1962, he went to Anderson Air Force base in Guam.

While in Guam, he received his second and third degree. At the end of the third degree or Master Mason, he went through the Scottish rite to the 32nd degree. Brother Gene became a Master Mason on April 24, 1963.

He retired from the United States Air Force on August 31, 1970 with 20 years, six months and 13 days of military service as a master sergeant.

He came back to his beloved state of Maine, built his house and went lobstering for six years. Brother Gene decided to go to Bath Iron Works and worked there for the next 17 years and also retired from there.

Brother Gene lost his beloved wife on March 30, 2009 after 54 years of marriage. They have three grown children, Don, Becky and Jamie.