Life achievements of Ben Barnes and Kelby Love remembered at Pierre Moran Branch

Perhaps no two people have ever represented the spirit, pride and talent of Elkhart’s south side quite like Ben Barnes Sr. and Kelby Love.  

During a July open house at the Pierre Moran Branch, families and friends gathered for the formal dedication of meeting rooms named in their honor.  

Barnes was a powerful presence in every room he entered. He lived his life with the same message he so often gave kids: You are second to none, but never better than anyone else. 

He was an incredible mentor to the community’s youth through his work with the St. James Boxing Club and Tolson Center. As an author, he was nominated for a National Book Award for his raw and inspiring memoir, “The River Flows Backward.”  

And he was a public servant. Barnes was the first Black person elected to county office, serving a total of four terms on the Elkhart County Council. He later served on the Elkhart City Council, too.  

In eulogizing Barnes after his 2003 passing, the Rev. Theodis Hadley said, “(Ben) didn’t spend his time worrying about what he did not have. He spent his time using what he had.” 

Kelby Love was an artistic force. No project was insignificant, whether it was bound for museums around the world or mass produced for the pages of Field and Stream magazine. 

His love of the outdoors led to his most enduring works. Paintings of creatures from the lazy streams of North America to the stifling savannas of Africa were so realistic they seemingly jumped at the viewer.  

Back home in Elkhart, Love’s legacy was maintained in works of public art. But time and redevelopment possibilities eventually took their toll.  

His “Picture of Progress” mural near the YMCA downtown was demolished as part of the Elkhart Aquatics Center project. His peace mural at Main and Prairie streets was on a building deemed unsafe and taken down in early 2024. Other works were located on North Main Street and at the Oakland Avenue underpass.  

Love was mourned at his untimely passing in 2018 at the age of 58.  

Previously, meeting rooms at Cleveland Branch were named in honor of Dr. Franklin Miles and educator Janice Dean. At Dunlap, recognition was given to scientists Al and Helen Free, as well as Elkhart Truth managing editor Jeff Gillaspy. A ceremony to dedicate rooms at the Osolo Branch will take place later this year.  

When the branches were undergoing renovations 2020-22, community members were asked to nominate individuals for the honors.