| Joseph Kellman | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 7, 1920 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | January 7, 2010 Egypt, Texas, United States |
| Residence | Egypt, Texas |
| Occupation | Businessman, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist |
| Known for | Better Boys Foundation, Kellman Corporate Community School |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Spouse | LouAnne Kellman |
| Children | Celia, Jack, Richard |
Joseph "Joe" Kellman (January 7, 1920 – January 7, 2010) was an American businessman and philanthropist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he grew up in the Lawndale neighborhood. [1] Together with his brother, Kellman inherited their father's glass business. Eventually, the brothers parted ways and the company was split into manufacturing and retailing. Kellman developed the two small shops over the next 45 years into Globe Glass and Mirror. At one point the country's largest auto glass chain, in 1997, it merged with Safelite AutoGlass, which is part of Belron US.[2]
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An owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses, as part of his bloodstock Joseph Kellman owned the broodmare, Lester's Pride. He named her foals after his friends in the entertainment industry. A colt named for Phil Foster [3] became a stakes winner and the filly Ivy Hackett [4] was named for the daughter of Buddy Hackett.
In 1973 Kellman met with considerable success with Shecky Greene, named for the comedian, Shecky Greene. Among his wins, the colt captured the 1973 Hutcheson Stakes, Fountain of Youth Stakes, Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes, and the Stepping Stone Purse enroute to earning 1973 American Champion Sprint Horse honors. [5]
A fan of the sport of boxing, Kellman promoted and managed boxers during the 1960s. His interest in boxing and his long-burning desire to put something back into his old neighborhood began his lifetime of civic involvement. In 1961, with the help of Buddy Hackett, Kellman founded the Better Boys Foundation to help one of the nation’s most disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods. The Better Boys Foundation offers youth participants tutoring and mentoring for academic enhancement and high school graduation, leadership training, cultural diversity and social skills training.
In 1988 in he established the country’s first business-sponsored elementary school, the Kellman Corporate Community School in impoverished North Lawndale. The philosophy behind the project was to applying the techniques that are common in business to public education and to improve the learning environment in inner-city public schools[6]. The school has been innovative in its use of computer technology and implementing 1-to-1 learning methods[7]. Since the establishment of the school the primarily African-American residents of the neighborhood have enjoyed a truly different school[8] working in close partnership with the Better Boys Foundation to improve the quality of life for North Lawndale youth and their families.