Stu Gentry


Stu

By: Pam Gunn

 

I never met a guy I knew,

That quite reminded me of Stu.

Always good for a joke or two…

And he would laugh as hard as you.

 

Kelly's in Westport was the place,

That I first saw Stu Gentry's face.

We were friends from that moment on

With Stu, you just could get along. 

 

The Spring drove him to Hickory Hollow.

If you loved crappie, you would follow,

To learn the secret how he caught

His limit with the "Gentry knot."

 

Which brings us where he spent most days.

At a bar named after a finishin' phrase.

A place where everybody knew...

Everybody else including Stu.

 

The Daily Limit had a way

Of helping you forget your day.

Above the noise, that famous laugh

Brings us all here on his behalf.

 

No, I never met a guy I knew…

That quite reminded me of Stu.

 

Stu Gentry

December 9th, 1950-April 8th, 2010

 


April 20, 2010 - 10:24 am


Add Kelly’s Westport Inn to travelers’ must-see list


Friday March 5th, 2010
Kansas City Business Journal
By: Michael Braude- Contributing Writer

 

 
Loyal readers of this column know that I am a huge fan of Patricia Schultz’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List,”
 
I absolutely agree with her including Kansas City’s venerable Arthur Bryant’s on the list.
 
I simply believe that it should not be Kansas City’s only entry in that valuable book. I respectfully submit that Kelly’s Westport Inn also deserves recognition on the list.
 
Kelly’s definitely is a one-of-a-kind local institution. I have been a Kelly’s lover since I had the good fortune of moving to Kansas City in 1959.
 
The thing I like most about Kelly’s is its totally diverse clientele. Doctors, lawyers and business leaders mingle comfortably at Kelly’s with bread truck drivers, construction workers and student nurses. Melting pot is an understatement at Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.
 
I recall two favorite moments at Kelly’s. On one occasion, I took the late Lou Horowitz, then the executive vice president of the New York Stock Exchange, directly from KCI to Kelly’s when he visited our town. We ordered two draws, and he gave Tombo, the Saturday bartender, a $20 bill. When Tombo handed him the change, Lou looked at me and exclaimed: “He gave me far too much change.” In fact, the amount was totally correct.
 
The other occasion was years ago, when I took Karen McCarthy there after we had been out fund raising for her first campaign for the state legislature. She ordered amaretto on the rocks. To my surprise, they had it, though the bottle didn’t look like it had been used much.
 
I recently sat down for a wonderful visit with Kyle Kelly, who along with his brother, Pat, now oversees this special place.
 
Their father, Randall Kelly, founded Kelly’s in 1947 in one of Kansas City’s oldest buildings, which was once a trading post for wagon trains. The Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails all ran down Westport Road.
 
Today, it is a metrowide neighborhood bar, with regulars who live in Lee’s Summit, Overland Park and Blue Springs.
 
Its list of famous patrons starts with Thomas Hart Benton and includes George Brett, Jamie Quirk and John Mayberry.
 
For many years, it has been the local home for Iowa State fans who come to Kansas City for the Big 12 basketball tournament.
 
The squirrel table, where regulars gather every Thursday, is a 50-year-old institution. At a recent reunion, folks came from Chicago, Texas, California and London. Dime beers were featured at that event.
 
Kelly’s takes pride in its longtime relationship with Welcome House, a wonderful local alcohol rehab facility. Kelly’s has sponsored a golf tournament for years for Welcome House, and in this recession year, it raised more than $28,000. Kelly’s also hosts a holiday party for Welcome House, which raises money and a truckload of clothing each year.
 
The big new project at Kelly’s will open in the spring. The 25-foot-by-45-foot rooftop deck is a response to folks who either like to be outside or to smoke when they drink.
 
Kelly’s real secret of success is its welcoming staff, including Mark Weber, who has tended bar there for more than 30 years. Kyle’s comely daughter, Colleen, is a third-generation employee. In this tough economic period, there have been no layoffs at Kelly’s.
 
Ms. Schultz, Kelly’s deserves a spot in your book.

March 9, 2010 - 11:40 am


Maggie Kelly Races to Save Lives


 Maggie Kelly, daughter of Pat Kelly, is racing to save lives for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Up to date, she has raised $5,900.  On March 28th she will compete in a Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, which includes a 1.5K Swim (.93 mi), 40K bike (24.8 mi) and a 10K run (6.2 mi).  Thanks to everyone who came out to her fundraiser at Kelly's which raised over $1,500.  Click HERE to go to Maggie's fundraising page.  Go Mag-Pie!! 


February 26, 2010 - 12:38 pm


Bombshel- 19 and Crazy


 Today on CMT the country band Bombshel premiered their new video "19 and Crazy."  Right around minute 2 Kelly's is shown! Check it out HERE


February 20, 2010 - 12:22 pm


Kelly's Reaches for the Sky



By JOYCE SMITH
The Kansas City Star

Westport patrons may be able to see the area in a whole new way next spring.

Kelly’s Westport Inn hopes to get final approval this week (it's done) from the city for its new rooftop deck at 500 Westport Road. Since announcing the project a few months ago, the owners now have more details.

The 1,125-square-foot deck would overlook Pennsylvania Avenue to the east and hold 110 customers, some in the open air, and some under weather-protected seating. It also would have multiple flat-screen TVs, ceiling fans and heaters, air-conditioned restrooms and a full-service bar. It is scheduled to open in March, in time for the Big 12 basketball tournament and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

While the two-story part of the building dates to about 1850, the deck would be on the one-story section that dates to 1890.

Kelly’s has been a saloon since Prohibition ended. Founder Randal Kelly became a bartender there in 1947 when it was just called Westport Inn, a partner soon after and later sole owner. It officially became Kelly’s Westport Inn in 1977, although customers had been calling it that for more than a decade.

Randal Kelly’s sons and the bar’s current co-owners, Pat and Kyle Kelly, have been involved in the business since about 1970. They plan to name the deck Randal’s Roost in honor of their father. The family has expanded the operation several times over the years, but part of the charm has been its old-time feel.

“We bought the building in 1995 after paying rent for 40 years — half a century,” said Kyle Kelly. His daughter, Colleen Kelly, is now the third-generation Kelly to be involved in the business.

Donors will be able to buy a step leading to the rooftop deck for $250. In return, they will have their name permanently in place and be able to attend a pre-grand opening party as a VIP.

Some memorabilia are coming down to make way for the deck — pictures, posters, signs — which will be sold at a “barage sale” after the deck opening.


January 15, 2010 - 3:31 pm


 

Michael Leahy worked at Kelly's from 1968-1977. He was a dear friend of the Kelly's and also the executive director of Welcome House, a halfway house for recovering alcoholics.

 

When Leahy passed away in 2002, Welcome House had his golf shoes bronzed as a tribute to Kelly's for their support of the House. When asked later in life what helped him Leahy replied, "First, my friends, especially the Kelly family, were always there for me, believed in me and never gave up on me. Second, I knew that when I died, I wanted others to remember me as a good person- someone who made a difference."

 

Leahy's legacy lives on in the countless number of people he helped.