Island Icon: Kelly Purvis

By Lilly Adams, CHA Intern

All Photos Courtesy of Kelly Purvis

Take a stroll down Orange Avenue, maybe find yourself a seat by the fountain, and just take a moment to listen to your surroundings. You may be lucky enough to catch a sweet tune coming from a piano. A piano? In a public space? Ask anyone outside of Coronado about their thoughts on public pianos, I guarantee that the concept is unheard of. This is just one of the many wonderful additions that Kelly Purvis has supported through her work with the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission.

Born in Freemont, Nebraska in the 1960s, Kelly grew up in a small, rural town with her parents, older sister Denise, and younger brother Kurt. Kelly’s great grandfather and grandfather were farmers, and Kelly occasionally worked in the fields, de-tasseling corn or hoeing beans, for local farmers in her community. Her favorite memories growing up were of Sunday dinners with her grandparents on the farm and working in the fields with the crops they grew. These simple times made the move to Las Vegas dramatic. Kelly went from mid-western girl to city girl in the middle of her high school years. Although the change was shocking, it set Kelly up for a future she never would have previously imagined. She met her lifelong best friend Beth Mills there, whose grandfather was the inventor of slot machines. Kelly recalled her friend’s license plate being named “SLOTS” and believes that that relationship provided her with an interesting perspective of Vegas. By what Kelly considers to be “good fortune” the Dean of Admissions at USC frequently traveled to Las Vegas and ended up recruiting her for the school. Granted a full-ride trustee scholarship, Kelly studied political science at the university. This was where she met her husband Jim, whom she married two years out of college. Kelly has three children; William, Amanda, and Claire, all of whom attended USC because as she quotes her son William, “Why go anywhere else? Look how happy you and dad are.” Kelly has stayed connected with USC by having past and present involvement with the Trojan League, as a recruiter for the university, serving on the Board of Governors, and supporting the creation of a scholarship for Coronado High School students interested in the school.

Developmental Director at the Coronado Historical Association (CHA) in hopes to raise more money for the organization and their mission to preserve Coronado’s history. At the time of her involvement, CHA had not yet acquired its current building at 1100 Orange Avenue. Her most notable work as the Developmental Director was creating the Spreckels Society, which became the major contributor to the CHA fund.

Kelly was (and still is) extremely passionate about the preservation of Coronado’s history. Since moving to Coronado in 1987, she has lived in a 1908 Craftsman Home and cannot imagine living anywhere else. She dreams of getting her home historically designated but states that she is like a “cobbler with shoeless children” and seeks to do more work on the home before then.

A firm believer in the preservation of Coronado, Kelly was one of the proponents who sponsored the 2006 ballot initiative Prop J to prevent the splitting of lots in the R1B Zone. This proposition was overturned, but this did not stop Kelly from her mission to preserve Coronado’s unique culture. As a City of Coronado employee, Kelly currently serves as the staff support for the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission. This job is what has allowed Coronado to have beautiful artwork around town. Some of Kelly’s favorite pieces include “Hand-Stand” which is located at the Community Center, “Penelope” by the bayside, and “The Knot” near City Hall. All of these art pieces were brought to Coronado by the Cultural Arts Commission supported by community volunteers and supported by the work of Kelly.

Although her children are grown now, Kelly has made a lasting impact on Coronado schools. She was the first PTO president at the current middle school. She prides herself most on her work on the technology committee which brought laptops to the school, creating the KCMS program alongside Amy Steward, acquiring the California Highway Patrol grant for the first 15 Minutes Program at CHS, and working as a cheer coach as an active member of the Islander Sports Foundation.

Kelly’s work at USC, her political campaign feats, accomplishments as PTO president, and her contributions to preserving Coronado history have shown that Kelly truly cares about her community. She has dedicated her life to improving everything she touches and there is no denying the success she has achieved. Kelly has been an incredibly active contributory member of Coronado and we are thrilled to welcome her as our newest Island Icon!