The W.D. Kelley Foundation is a private foundation established to make grants in the areas of education, employment, and human services primarily in Williamson County Texas.
W.D. Kelley, or Kelley as he liked to be called, was a union carpenter from Altadena, California, who became a client of Georgetown Attorney Dale Illig in 1978 when he needed help regarding a will contest case involving his aunt, Mary Palm of Round Rock.
As the last surviving heir of the A.J. Palm family of Round Rock, Kelley owned a majority interest in the old Palm farm. When the City of Round Rock condemned his interest in the farm in 1986 to create Old Settlers Park, Kelley once again asked Dale to help him. With some of what Kelley received from the condemnation proceedings, Dale purchased for Kelley several tracts of commercial real estate in Georgetown, which over the years appreciated substantially.
As Kelley was not married and had no children, Dale assisted Kelley in developing an estate plan that would allow Dale, as his Trustee, to create a charitable foundation at his death. When Kelley died in 1996, Dale was able to create the W.D. Kelley Foundation and fund it with assets that he had helped Kelley acquire over the years.
Education: Springboard for a Brighter Future
Education is the bedrock for building a path to meaningful employment and connection with the community.
The W.D. Kelley Foundation celebrates educational programs spanning early childhood, K-12, and beyond that enhance academic, vocational, and personal strengths. The Foundation also recognizes specific human services that contribute to education and employment.
It seeks to improve educational opportunities so that all may gain access to employment, regardless of circumstances, and contribute to their own material and emotional well-being.
View the story of how Dale first met W.D. Kelley, the Will Contest case, the Condemnation of the Palm Estate by the City of Round Rock, and how the proceeds of the condemnation became the seed money for the W.D. Kelley Foundation after Kelley’s death.
