Distinguished Engineering Alumnus
Award Recipient
James F. Kelly — 1968
A 1943 graduate in Civil Engineering, this outstanding alumnus became President of Aeroglide Corporation of Raleigh in 1956 when he was only 33 years old. The following year he was elected to the Young Presidents' Organization, which recognizes an individual who, prior to his 40th birthday, becomes president of a company doing an annual volume in excess of one million dollars.
His company manufactures machinery and equipment for processing farm products. As an engineer with an interest in the development of engineering equipment for the agricultural processing industry, he has been a motivating force in his company's establishing a plant in Emporia, Kansas; joining in a cooperative venture with Empresa Metalurgica Colombiana in Bucaramanga, Columbia; and acquiring American Machinery Corporation of Orlando, Florida, of which he is now Chairman.
Dedicated to his alma mater, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association and the North Carolina Engineering Foundation. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Alumni Association and as member and Chairman of the Advisory Council for the School of Engineering. He is currently President of the University's Development Council.
James F. Kelly