In Memoriam
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Remembering Dr. Kenneth Keller
Dr. Kenneth W. Keller, 78, passed away on January 9, 2022, at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was born October 29, 1943, in St. Louis, Missouri, and was the son of the late Walter Keller and Helen Firn Keller.
Officers and members of the Augusta County Historical Society board remember Ken as a longtime colleague, past president, and former society archivist. Ken was a member of the society from the time he came to Staunton in 1981 to join the history department at Mary Baldwin College.
A St. Louis native, Ken graduated from Washington University with his BA in history. As a scholarship student, he attended Yale University where he graduated in 1971 with his M.Phil. and Ph.D. with a focus on American colonial history.
On their first date he told his future wife that “the only thing I ever wanted to do was teach American History”; and teach it he did. Dr. Keller taught history for eleven years at Ohio University and Ohio State University and for thirty years at Mary Baldwin College, offering courses in all areas of American History with specialized courses in Women’s History, Lewis and Clark, and History of the American West. He published over forty journal and encyclopedia articles and reviews as well as book chapters and articles focused on western Virginia. He also won a substantial grant from the U.S. Department of Education for a 3-year program for public school teachers in the Shenandoah Valley: “Teaching American History: Decisive Events.”
Ken had a special interest in the social history of the Shenandoah Valley, its religious communities, and its German and Scots-Irish settlers. In his long career at Mary Baldwin, Ken served many years as chair of the history department, and developed and introduced courses in Native Americans and in women’s history.
He published many articles on his research in a wide range of books and journals, including the Society’s Augusta Historical Bulletin. To the delight of all, he presented a number of ACHS programs on those topics. Perhaps the most memorable body of Valley research that he was known for was his work on the Valley Turnpike (today U.S. Rt. 11), an historic road referred to as “The best thoroughfare in the South.”
He also delved deeply into the history of decorative Moravian tiles known as Mercer tiles. The handmade tiles were a product of the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works in Bucks County, Pa. Henry Chapman Mercer founded the company in the early 20th century and the decorative tiles produced at his establishment are found in several buildings in our area that feature architecture from the Arts and Crafts movement.
From his first arrival in Staunton, Ken became a part of the Society’s inner circle as a long-standing board member and then as president in 2004 and 2005. When he retired in 2011, he accepted the role of archivist of the ACHS, following in the footsteps of other distinguished Society archivists such as Richard M. Hamrick, Jr. He served as archivist until 2019.
Ken worked closely with the ACHS archives committee in its massive ongoing project of cataloging the collections. His annual reports in the Bulletin are a testimony to the progress of that committee’s work and to the richness of the collections.
In 2019, the Society presented Ken with its highest honor, the Distinguished History Service Award. We are grateful for Ken’s service to the Society, to Mary Baldwin, and to the larger history community. We regret the loss of a respected colleague, and we extend our condolences to his wife, Dr. Susan Green.
Dr. Keller loved gardening, and he and his wife spent many summers traveling through the American West, visiting tribal reservations and historical sites along the way. Trips also included visits to relatives and friends in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, and California.
Dr. Keller is survived by his wife of twenty-six years, Dr. Susan Blair Green, and by his stepson, Seth D. Green, as well as by his extended family and friends. He was much loved as a gentle, kind, and generous man who never lost his love of learning. He is deeply mourned and missed by those who knew him best.
Remembering a dear friend Mary Beirne (Kerr) Nutt
Mary Beirne (Kerr) Nutt died September 4, 2021 at her residence in Staunton following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was born on October 22, 1940, in Staunton to the late Hugh Holmes Kerr, Jr. and Mary Beirne (Jones) Kerr. Mary Beirne grew up at “Waverley” and was a graduate of Stuart Hall School in Staunton and Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Mary Beirne was a dear friend, mentor, and history leader to those in the Society. She served as the Augusta County Historical Society’s president in 2002 and 2003, but her service to the society and her dedication to the preservation of history and the telling of our community’s story was a lifelong passion of hers. She was involved with the Society for decades on committees, as a board member and advisor, and as a participant in our myriad activities and events. In 2013 we presented her with the Society’s highest honor — The Distinguished History Service Award.
Mary Beirne had an encyclopedic memory when it came to history and especially genealogy. She could not be stumped when it came to genealogy questions. She had a dry wit and a way of stating something without being dismissive.
Mary Beirne married Robert Hasbrouck Nutt in October 1962 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton. She was the seventh generation member of her family to worship at Trinity. Mary Beirne and Bob lived in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, New York City, and Chatham, New Jersey, before returning with their two children to Staunton in 1977. While in New Jersey, Mary Beirne was an active member of the Junior League and the League of Women Voters.
Upon moving back to Staunton, Mary Beirne devoted herself to a variety of artistic, educational, historical and genealogical organizations. She served as President of the Staunton Fine Arts Association where she loved the annual “Art in the Park” event at Gypsy Hill Park and the “Art for Gifts” holiday shop. She was also a proud member of the Class of ‘57 at Stuart Hall School and served on its Alumnae Council. She was delighted when, in 2012, the school named her “Miss Stuart Hall” and gave her a crown and a bouquet of long-stemmed, red roses. The roses wilted in time, but she loved wearing that crown!
Having deep roots in Staunton and Augusta County meant Mary Beirne believed in the importance of historical preservation, research and education. In addition to her work with the Augusta County Historical Society, her love of history extended to family histories as well and she was active in various genealogical associations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution (where she served as Registrar of the Beverley Manor Chapter), the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Edward Howell Family Association.
In addition to these organizations, Mary Beirne was an avid reader and music-lover. Mary Beirne treasured her time working at the Staunton Public Library. Working at the Library combined her love of books with her love of people. Many people have fond memories of Mary Beirne’s friendly face behind the counter and her enthusiasm for reading. She also adored attending Heifetz and other community concerts with her husband Bob, and they could often be seen sitting together in the front row enjoying the music.
Mary Beirne leaves behind her husband Bob of nearly fifty-nine years; her children Mary Beirne Touchstone of New York City and Robert Hasbrouck Nutt II of Virginia Beach; her grandson Daniel Evan Young and his wife Laura of Waynesboro, Virginia; her granddaughter-in-law Kali Ann Stern of Vacaville, California; and her great-granddaughters Claire Emma Young and Elizabeth Rose Stern. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and her four siblings: Hugh Holmes Kerr III and his wife Ida of Miami, Florida; Sara Evelyn (Kerr) Hunt and her husband David of New Canaan, Connecticut; Elizabeth (“Tizzy”) Antoinette Kerr and her husband Buddy Swint of Charlottesville, Virginia; and Junius Edward Kerr of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition to her parents, Mary Beirne was preceded in death by her grandson David Robert Stern.
