---
title: Capital-area Chronicler Turns the Page
date: 2024-01-12T17:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/capital-area-chronicler-turns-the-page"
section: Articles
---
# Capital-area Chronicler Turns the Page

*January 12, 2024* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/authors/karen-shih-09)


- *Portrait by John T. Consoli*
- *Inset photos courtesy of John Kelly*

> Departing Washington Post Columnist Shares 20 Years of Family Tales, Reader Favorites

*John Kelly at desk*

After nearly 20 years, John Kelly ’84 won’t be following up on tip’s from loyal readers anymore.

The Washington Post columnist will have to continue his crusade against the incorrect use of apostrophes (such as the error we inserted above in his honor) and other tongue-in-cheek rants in a different medium. After publishing nearly 5,000 pieces of “John Kelly’s Washington,” he took a buyout to end an era as a local voice in the nation’s third-largest newspaper.

“I’m fortunate I can leave this job without knowing what I’ll do next—or if I’ll do anything other than watch Netflix,” he [wrote in a December column](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/12/10/early-retirement-for-columnist/) announcing his departure.


*dog*


*squirrel on tree*


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*bride gets makeup done for wedding*


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**From Streetcar Tokens to a Helping Hand**  
In a tradition inherited from his predecessors, Bill Gold and Bob Levey, dating back to 1947, Kelly highlighted charities each holiday season. While he could have easily linked to a donation page for the Post’s “Helping Hand” initiative, Gold would request streetcar tokens or stamps as contributions.

“It’s an odd sort of thing for a journalist to ask for money,” Kelly acknowledges, but he did so by sharing compelling stories of locals who experienced homelessness, food insecurity or poverty. Over the last two decades, he helped raise more than $12.4 million.




**Issue:** [Winter 2024](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/winter-2024)


**Types:** [Post-Grad](https://terp.umd.edu/category/post-grad)