2022 LSU Gumbo - Book - Page 145
Herman Kelly stood on the 10-yard line of the
Caesars Superdome this past week in total awe. He
looked around the dome and admired the pageantry
of the atmosphere around him. He watched the
cheerleaders and then the New Orleans Saints as they
began to warm up.
Kelly looked up and asked, “God, how did I get
here?”
And as time seemed to stand still, he heard a
response.
“You’ve gotten here because of my blessings and
grace to you.”
Kelly realized that there was a much bigger purpose
to his pain that he could have ever imagined.
Kelly, LSU African and African American
Studies (AAAS) adjunct instructor, was honored on
Thanksgiving night during the Bills vs. Saints game
as a Peoples Health Champion, an award given in
collaboration with Peoples Health insurance and the
Saints to recognize the exceptional achievements of
Louisiana residents aged 65 and older.
Kelly was nominated and chosen for the award in
recognition of his outstanding achievements in both
swimming and fundraising for cancer patients. He
holds the swimming title of state champion in seven
events, and placed in the top 25 for three separate
events at the National Senior Games in 2019.
The pastor and professor of more than 20 years fell
in love with swimming at a very young age, but his
pool time dwindled after he became a pastor and was
eventually assigned to lead Bethel African Methodist
Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, a place he now
considers home. Health concerns in 2015 are what
forced him to find the pool again.
“In 2015, I was overweight,” Kelly said. “I had
medical issues and my doctor told me that if I didn’t
straighten my life out, I would have serious problems.
He told me that I would need to be put on medication.
Now obviously I didn’t want that, so he gave me six
weeks to try to get my life together, or else I would
have to be put on medication.”
Six weeks was all Kelly needed to prove his doctor
wrong. He swam at LSU’s natatorium twice a day for
those six weeks and saw his health drastically improve.
After the six week period, Kelly’s doctor decided that
medication was no longer needed
But Kelly kept swimming.
His next goal was to begin swimming competitively,
and with the help of two former LSU swimmers, Kit
Hanley and Miranda Nichols, he made that dream a
reality.
One of his biggest motivators, his late wife Linda
Kelly, was fighting breast cancer when Kelly was
training.
“There were times when my wife was ill and I didn’t
want to leave her home by herself,” Kelly said. “But she
would tell me, ‘No, you go swimming. I’ll be alright.’”
After she passed on Aug. 7, 2021, Kelly made
it his mission to continue her legacy through the
achievements that accompanied his passion. Kelly
sought to raise awareness as well as money for cancer
patients through his swimming. He partnered with
Crawfish Aquatics and Coach Nan Fontenot this past
summer to host Swim for Life, a fundraiser where
participants gave flat donations to swim laps around
the pool. Over $5,800 was raised, and Kelly is excited
to raise even more during future events.
After the passing of Linda, the fundraiser was newly
dubbed Swim for Linda, and people have continued
to donate. A scholarship that is awarded to a cancer
survivor was also created in her name, which will
continue each year moving forward.
“Her legacy as a person may have physically ended,
but it is my job to carry on the legacy that we built
together as a family,” Kelly said.
Kelly knows that his wife would be proud of
everything he has been able to accomplish. Having
this in mind only made receiving the Peoples Health
Champion Award that much more special.
“I know that she would say, ‘I’m proud of you,’” he
said. “‘I’m so glad that you didn’t give up. Even in my
sickness, you kept it up.’”
There’s no sign of slowing down for Dr. Kelly
anytime soon. He is currently training for the Senior
Olympic Games that will be held in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida this coming May.
“My goal is to be at the top,” he explained. “I want
to push to be in the top-12 of each event and then next
time, I want to be in the top five.”
After retiring, Kelly hopes to start swimming
internationally.
It can only be assumed that Kelly will continue to
pursue his dreams and succeed at them, all in the name
of his late wife, Linda, and the blessings that he credits
God for bestowing onto him.
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