A Sierra Madre Man, His Scooter and a Dream

By Galen Patterson

Jonathan Kelley is a 77 year old retired anesthesiologist and has been enjoying his time out of the work force for over a decade. Among his pastimes are acting, interacting with the homeless, perfecting his croissant recipe, and avidly riding a scooter.

Kelley is not like most senior citizens. When he was approaching retirement, he began to consider ways in which he could stave off the ravages of time. He began riding a unicycle, to keep his balance as sharp as possible, but he almost severely hurt himself after falling and recalls reading about the famous actor/dancer Fred Astair retiring with a skateboard in hand, who fell and broke his wrist. Kelley began searching for alternatives and eventually found himself at The Vault Pro Scooters in Culver City, testing scooters.

The light weight, compact carrying, wide standing platform and brake system were all attractive qualities of the model he selected, and soon Kelley was gliding around the streets and paved paths of Los Angeles County. Almost immediately, he began to realize the benefits of this peculiar device that has largely been written off as a toy for children.

For example, Kelley is aware of two important things regarding his scooter enthusiasm. The first being that rough pavement and high speeds are the only two real hazards he faces while riding. The other is that he has not seen many adults riding scooters, let alone another senior citizen.

While Kelley’s pastime is remarkable in its own right, he has bigger plans for his hobby. “I would like to fuel a revolution for transportation,” says Kelley. Between the pre-existing methods of public transportation and his portable scooter, almost all of Los Angeles is open for easy transportation and Kelley is going to great personal lengths to spread the word of scooters.

Kelley is listed as a demo-rider for Xootr, a scooter manufacturer, at L.A. CoMotion Expo, an event which gathers transportation entrepreneurs and venture capitalists under one roof.

The benefits of Kelley’s scooting campaign are many. As if personal activity and changing transportation were not enough, he recommends the scooter as an ideal way to get exercise for his fellow seniors.

“There are many senior citizens out there who aren’t morbidly obese and don’t get enough exercise,” he said. It didn’t take Kelley long to realize the health benefits of long distance scooting. He started by conducting ten scoots with one leg and switching to the other. A few months later, Kelley is up to twenty scoots per leg.

Of course, time has taken its toll on the former Navy doctor. “I’ve got the usual health issues that everyone has to deal with,” says Kelley, citing cancer, type-two diabetes and cataract surgeries, but none of it has been enough to stop him from making a positive impact on humanity and maintaining his mobility.

Kelley is currently training to scoot his way down a trail beginning in Duarte and ending in Norwalk, a distance of roughly 19 miles. To learn more about Jonathan Kelly and his scooting crusade, visit his website at https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.kelley.106.

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