Elizabeth "Betty" Kelley

Betty Kelley was a student from 1940 to 1945 and was one of the few to graduate. She was the niece of faculty and rector, Robert Wunsch. She also married a fellow BMC student, Homer Bobilin and they lived in Black Mountain, NC after attending the college.

While a student, she participated in many plays, though they may be many more, she was noted in Macbeth, Shadow and Substance, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Quare Medicine, Fixin's, Ethan Frome, The Anniversary, Outward Bound, and she produced her own children's play, "More Straw for the Scarecrow."

Relationships

Uncle: BMC faculty, Robert Wunsch

Husband: Fellow BMC student, Homer Boblin

Asheville Art Museum Collection

Writings about Betty can be seen in digitized college bulletins on Asheville Art Museum's collection website: collection.ashevilleart.org. Below are a sampling, though many more can be found by searching "kelley"

2017.40.024 September 1943 bulletin,

"Betty Kelley spent six weeks of the summer as a student at the Plymouth Drama Festival in Plymouth, Massachusetts. She was one of the college dramatic students selected, from several hundred applicants from every stat in the Union, for special study in the theatre and radio techniques. During the summer she played roles in “The Warrior’s Husband” and “The Famous Mrs.Fair.” During the summer Betty Kelley and Homer Bobolin announced their engagement."

2017.40.026 January 1944 bulletin,

"Betty Kelley, a fourth-year student majoring in dramatics, is writing a three-act fairy play for the Asheville Children’s Theatre. It will be produced at the Plaza Theatre in Asheville for an audience of Western North Carolina elementary school children on April 29."

2017.40.150 April 1944 bulletin,

"Rehearsals for Betty Kelley’s original three-act fairy play, “More Straw for the Scarecrow,” will begin today. The cast for the play includes Carol Ostrow, as the Mother; Patsy Lynch, as Kathie, the little girl; Egbert Swackhamer, as Katzi, the little boy; Lana Yarash, as Mother Mouse; Bill McLaughlin as Father Mouse; Betty Kelley as Grinner, the Scarecrow; Jack Gifford, as Kafur, the Groomp; Jerome Flax, as the Father; and Sue Brown, Liese Kulka, Mary Brett and Roxane Dinkowitz as the Villagers. The dances for the play will be created by Betty Kelley; and Faith Murray has designed the costumes and the scenery. “More Straw for the Scarecrow” will be produced at the Plaza Theatre in Asheville on April 29 for the Children’s Theatre of Asheville."

2017.40.181 November 1944 bulletin,

"The after-dinner program included the singing of popular songs by Betty Kelley, Sue Schuffler, and Nancy Smith: “A Little Bit of Old Russia”, a stunt by Egbert Swackhamer; “Three College Celebrities”, impersonations by Max Paul; “Three White Russians”, danced by Dick Albany, Curtis Cowan, and Egbert Swackhamer; a piano novelty by Edwin Woldin; “Marchon Bagdad”, a special piano number by Dick Bush-Brown; a tight-rope stunt by Max Paul; and an adagio dance by Jane Stone and Egbert Swackhamer."