Carly Simon enjoys a moment with Kelly Gallagher. (Photo By Casey Gallagher)
Editor’s note: The Advocate thanks Ron Gallagher and his family for sharing with us this special story about love and a very special young man.
WILLIAMSTOWN — Christmas came early for a severely disabled local boy who has long adored singer songwriter Carly Simon.
Kelly Gallagher, 13, got a Christmas present from his family — and from Simon herself — in the form of a concert and what turned out to be a close and lengthy tete-a-tete with his favorite star in her first live performance in years, a holiday benefit Saturday at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
“This was the best Christmas present he could ever have hoped for,†said Kelly’s father, Ron Gallagher, Tuesday. “It was a magical time for him to not only meet this idol that he lives and breathes every day, but also to sit with her and have her sing just to him.
“He was just so taken by it, all he could do was stare at her and say her name over and over,†Gallagher added. “It’s something we’ve talked about for years, him having the opportunity to actually meet Carly … It was a very emotional night. We’re still all on Cloud Nine. This will stick with us for the rest of our lives.â€
The following is how Gallagher told the story of his family’s experience:
Kelly Gallagher 13, has loved the music and videos of Carly Simon almost since infancy. Although he has very limited speech, one of the first words he ever spoke was “Carly.â€
Just as background, Kelly’s attendance at the concert took the combined efforts of family friend Ben Kaplan and Kelly’s sister, Casey. Ben called the Gallagher family when he heard that Carly was hosting a holiday benefit concert at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. We thought it would be the absolute ideal Christmas present for Kelly but soon realized that it wasn't in the cards after we saw the ticket price of $300.
Without telling us, about a month ago, my 23-year-old daughter Casey wrote to Carly to thank her for her music and how much it means to Kelly.
Last Thursday night [Dec. 16], we received an incredible call from Carly's manager inviting us to her Christmas show scheduled for that Saturday night and to give us the opportunity to have Kelly meet Carly after the performance.
We drove to New York City at noon on Saturday, had dinner at Sylvia’s Soul Food Restaurant in Harlem and were seated by 7:30 for the 8 p.m. show. Ten minutes before the show began, Kelly had a grand mal seizure. We moved Kelly into a hallway outside of the theater and administered medication, which made him sleep for the next 2 1/2 hours.
At the very end of the three-hour show, Carly started singing "You’re So Vain." Suddenly, Kelly woke up from his deep sleep in the darkened waiting room and said, "That's Carly!"
We brought him into the rear of the theater, where he watched her sing her encore song, which is Kelly's favorite tune, "Coming Around Again.â€
An usher noticed us and escorted us to the front of the stage where Carly looked down to see Kelly clapping and smiling to his favorite song.
After the show, we were escorted to the Green Room to meet Carly, who sat with Kelly for 15 minutes, singing a medley of her greatest hits, much to the delight of Kelly, who kept hugging her and saying "That's Carly" over and over again.
Carly was so incredibly kind and gentle with Kelly and seemed to enjoy meeting him as much as he meeting her.
When Carly arrived at the Green Room after her show, there were about 20 people present including her family members and members of the press. Her eyes scanned the room to find Kelly, and she came over and sat next to him. She immediately gazed into his eyes while cupping the back of his head. She sang a song just for him in the softest voice … at a very slow pace. It went,
"My name is Carly,
Your name is Kelly.
How are you Kelly?
My name is Carly.â€
Witnessing this interaction between a superstar and the way that she connected with special boy was very spiritual. I figured that she would give him a hug and go on to the others in the crowd. She sat there, stroking his hair, and began to sing "Loving You's the Right Thing To Do." With Kelly gazing into her eyes, she mesmerized him with bits of each of the songs he has listened to hundreds of times on his well-worn tape player.
Although there were dozens of folks waiting to congratulate her on her monumental performance, she paid them no attention — and no one intruded into their space. At that hectic place, at that special moment in time, it was just she and Kelly —two beautiful souls — although meeting physically for the very first time, in harmony since Day One.
My other children sang along on some of the songs Carly sang to Kelly. The amazing thing was that, after Carly had given him so much attention and moved on to see others in the room, she came right back to Kelly again and again, as if magnetized by his charm
We were very fortunate to have our entire family witness this moment.
Our other two children have been totally selfless in their love, devotion and personal care for Kelly. Casey is a graduate of Siena College, and Devin, 19, attends Union College. Without their support and understanding, the quality of Kelly's and my wife’s and my life would pale by comparison. Although we get great support from Kelly’s teachers and therapists and our wonderful friends, it's in the home where a family with a severely disabled child struggles to achieve harmony. Just lifting Kelly in and out of his wheelchair on a constant basis requires teamwork and cooperation. My children have always been there for us. Without their willingness to perform childcare duties my wife [Deborah] and I would generally be housebound.
Casey was the office administrator of a real-estate development firm in St. Simons, Ga., last year. As much as she loved her job and the location, she decided to come back home to be closer to the brother she adores. Devin had struggled with his college acceptance decisions — he seriously thought about attending Hobart College but settled on Union to be closer to the family. As parents to these great kids, it's very difficult to share equal amounts of attention to each child when Kelly's needs are almost constant.
Furthermore, our children have had to play a leading role in every aspect of Kelly’s life, which in a sense requires them to act as secondary parents. From administering medication to assisting Kelly with his activities of daily living, the needs placed on my children are tremendous, but I find that they demonstrate that the true love that they have for Kelly seemingly overshadows the hardships that they sometimes must endure.
This is where Carly comes in. Through her music, Carly has been a constant source of comfort for our family. Aside from her music being played day and night in our home, throughout Kelly's many surgeries, Carly Simon tunes have played in the background each time Kelly awakens from an operation. He always awakes with his one constant thought about the situation: He says, "I know nothing stays the same," a line from the song "Coming Around Again.†At that moment, Kelly is inspiring each of our family members to hang as tough as he is and know that "He'll be coming around again.’
Another of his favorite sayings is "I'm here!" Kelly's infectious huge smile and phenomenal personality make him a town celebrity in Williamstown. I've heard from people I have never met that, "Everyone knows Kelly Gallagher.†He is constantly greeting strangers to ask for their name and shaking hands as if he were running for public office. When you take an interest in Kelly, he responds with a hearty, "Oh Man!"
Kelly is clearly a one-of-a-kind spirit, and I can honestly say without any bias that he is the finest human being I have ever known.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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