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"I am the only Democrat, the only liberal, and the only atheist in my family. I want the Keller Center to work to make it easier for others to pursue their individual beliefs, as I have been able to do all my life."  - LeRoy Keller

LeRoy "Lee" Keller (ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ '29) generously endowed the Keller Center for the Study of the First Amendment. Born in Longmont, ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ in 1905, Keller spent 42 years with UP (later renamed United Press International) and then became a newspaper broker and consultant in New York City. In the same year that he graduated from Boulder, Keller joined the old United Press as a staff writer. He became a sales representative for the wire service in 1933, advancing over the years to the company's general sales manager, and vice president and director of client relations. From 1964-1971, he was vice president and general manager of UPI's international division.

Over his objections, UPI asked him to retire in 1971 when he was 65. He then became a newspaper broker and consultant, so successful that he said he later told a UPI president, "Why didn't you force me out earlier?"

Believing that the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of freedoms of speech and press were not fully understood and appreciated, Keller endowed ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥'s Keller Center for the Study of the First Amendment. He was a member of the Inter-American Press Association, International Press Institute, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Delta Chi, University Club in Manhattan, and the Carsdale, N.Y., Golf Club.

Keller died January 6, 1999, in a Pensacoa, Florida, rest home after a long illness. Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Winifred (Peggy) Cora Allen, and their two children: John Pierce Keller, a medical doctor in Florida, and Lynn Keller Andrews.

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