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"Boo was always a creative soul, resourceful and constantly evolving. Now, he's doing it on a national and worldwide level," Dunwoody says. McKelvey says this Macon Magazine story marks only his second foray into the local limelight, on the heels of a March speech to the Rotary Club of Macon at the request of club program chair John O'Shaughnessey. "Our parents were friends and our families carpooled to school. Seven O'Shaughnessey kids, six McKelveys — and no seatbelts," says O'Shaughnessey, laughing at the memory. "At Rotary, I was mesmerized by Ryan's story and accomplishments — everyone in the club was." In the corporate world, McKelvey has made his mark as a work horse, not a show horse. He's an unassuming, modern- day renaissance man, the rare guy who knows his way around a house, self-taught in its operating systems. McKelvey cops to being a DIY person before the phrase was coined. "I like planning and executing projects. I'm a decent carpenter, maybe better rough than finished; a decent plumber; electrician; and I can weld and tile most things," he says. "I understand the functioning systems of a home." Rebecca, his wife of 28 years, applauds her handy husband: "Boo is a problem-solver whose mind is always working. I'm spoiled. I've never had to call a handyman." McKelvey claims he may be hardwired to be handy. He offers a childhood portrait hanging in the family dining room as proof. "I'm sitting in front of my little wooden scooter with a hammer beside me. I've always had a knack for looking at something, figuring out what was wrong and fixing it," he says. Cornerstone's new president began honing his skills while a newlywed in a little 1930's era home in Cumberland Center, Maine, that he and Rebecca bought in 1995. He gathered bids for the electrical work but tackled the job himself with the help of the book, "Household Wiring from Start to Finish," recalling, "renovating that house was a large learning curve because we pretty much did it all ourselves." MACON CHILDHOOD McKelvey fondly recalls his early childhood "way out on Rivoli Drive" — considered the country in those days. He attended Springdale Elementary School, where he repeated second grade, later transferred to St. Joseph Elementary School, and like many Macon boys in that era, played youth football in Central City Park. With his father's growing interest in historic preservation, the family eventually moved intown to College Street. McKelvey attended nearby Mount De Sales Academy for middle and high school, where he played football and graduated in 1985. He began college at Auburn University, transferred to the University of Georgia in his sophomore year and attended night classes to boost his grades. Graduating with a degree in finance from the Terry College of Business, McKelvey accepted a position in securities, quickly realizing that "securities didn't bring me a lot of personal enjoyment." 88 maconmagazine.com | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021