Wings to Fly, Animals to Help

It is rare to find a gem in the rubble after 9/11, but local volunteer Judy Kell Beall has done exactly that. Formerly a flight attendant with Delta Air Lines, Beall says 9/11 was a life-changing event in that it made it easier for her to walk away from a job that she absolutely loved. After a rewarding thirty-year career with Delta, when offered an early retirement package after 9/11, Beall took it. By then, she’d met the man who stole her heart, local resident James C. Beall. They married, she moved from Atlanta to Charleston, and Beall began volunteering with one goal in mind: to help animals.
Beall was born in Washington, D.C. to Frank and Agnes Kell. She has one brother, David, and two cherished nieces, Megan and Erin, who are like daughters to her. “They are my shining stars,” says Beall.
Growing up, all her family were animal lovers. “If we saw a hurt animal on the side of the road, we’d help,” she recalls. As just one example, “Dad found a Chihuahua Terrier mix; Tiny was with us 12 years.” Today, Beall has several cats, all rescues.
If 9/11 hadn’t happened, she’d have continued working international flights, says Beall. It’s not just the travel that’s wonderful; part of the Delta culture is that crew members develop deep, long-lasting ties, similar to military families, she explains. Her father was a lawyer for Delta, and she grew up going to company picnics. She dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, yet when she completed her six weeks of training, she stood at the back of 22 colleagues, because she didn’t want them to think she’d get preferential treatment from Delta’s founder, C.E. Woolman. He was her godfather and mentor. But Woolman called her up front, pinned a beautiful orchid corsage to her uniform, and reassured everyone that she’d have to pull her own weight. That graduation day, she and the others were each given a pin to wear.
“We called them our wings,” she recalls. It remains a special moment in her life. While she grew up in great admiration of Woolman, the true gem in her life is Jim, her husband. “When I met him, I finally met the right man, and I respect him.” They met at her brother’s high school reunion at Georgia Military Academy, now called Woodward Academy. The men had attended high school together and were good friends. She’s grateful her husband respects her independence and passion for animals. For instance, walk into Animal Helpers ReTail Thrift Store on Savannah Highway and chances are excellent you’ll have met Beall. She’s been there working tirelessly as a volunteer since the day the store opened in December 2010. The thrift store’s proceeds are split between Pet Helpers on James Island, and Charleston Animal Society.
When she’s not at the thrift store, she’s devoting additional time to Pet Helpers, a non-profit, no-kill rescue and adoption center. She recently worked alongside other committee members in preparation for Pet Helpers’ largest charitable event of the year, the Oct. 19^th annual Fur Ball, with dinner, dancing, and silent auction.
Jon Skelton is the manager and founder of Animal Helpers ReTail Thrift Store. He feels he’s found a gold mine in Beall. “Judy’s the type of person you can count on,” says Skelton. “If she can handle a flight full of people, she can handle a store, and she’s dedicated her life to animals.” Skelton also admires Beall’s love of wildlife.
Deer, raccoons, opossums: they, too, have a friend in her. “All creatures are gifts from God,” states Beall. She thinks of raccoons as “nature’s scrubbers.”
“She’s the most loving, caring, and giving person I’ve ever met,” says Claire Boinest, who also volunteers at Animal Helpers thrift store. The two women bonded immediately from day one, says Boinest.
West Ashley resident Peggy Powell has also known Beall for several years, since she too, volunteers at the thrift store. “Judy’s true to her word, dependable, generous, and she’s friendly to all,” says Powell. Beall takes her job seriously, notes Powell, and works all day sorting and pricing donated goods. This is a big task, for at the back of the store lurks a mountainous pile of donations. Mere mortals might quake, but not Beall. She’s simply eager to help the animals.
 
Lisa Weatherwax is a local writer. She earned the Matrix Table Promise of Excellence Award. Reach her at weatherwaxwrites@aol.com