Galveston County Cattle-man Wayland Kelley Working for the American Dream

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

“I was raised that you have to get up and work. I had two bottle calves that I had to get up and feed every morning. My grandfather told me it was my responsibility, and he paid me for the chores I did. I used that money to buy my lunches at school,” Wayland Kelley said as he recalls his life of working to live the American Dream.

Growing up, Kelley spent part of his childhood in California and then got over to Galveston County with his extended family and mother just as he was hitting his teenage years. While in California he wasn’t just hanging out being a cute kid, he was working towards the adult, American dream. 

His skills at sewing on buttons and keeping shirts clean were compensated by Californians at $1 per shirt. “My mother taught me how to sew on buttons and keep my clothes clean and her boyfriend taught me how to save my money for the future,” Kelley explained. 

At about age 11 he began repairing other people’s bicycles for a fee.

Reaching the salt marshlands of Galveston County and learning ranching from his grandparents and uncles enriched Kelley’s experiences and educated him further on the value of working and getting by on limited recourses. This has served him well as he pursued his passions and provides for his family. 

Kelley’s childhood years of experience in improvising, adapting, and overcoming were just what was needed when he signed on with the Marines. He served four years as a United States Marine. His duty time was spent at Camp Pendleton in California and in Okinawa, Japan.

While in the Marines, he served as a mechanic working on Humvees along with other large military vehicles and worked as a hazmat tech/environmental compliance inspector.

After serving our nation, he returned to Texas and was hired on by the Houston Fire Department. Currently, he is a rescue specialist whose job is to rescue first responders who are in trouble while out on a fire or other emergency scenario. 

Serving as a first responder, Wayland is part of Texas Force 1 which operates at the direction of the governor’s office. His role is as a rescue specialist. When needed he is sent to emergency situations throughout Texas and across the country.  

Working to build his family’s security meant taking on more than just one job. With his childhood entrepreneurial experience, Kelley branched out and opened a commercial building and truck washing service. He had seven employees and operated the business until he was ready to move on.

 In 2008 it was time to reach for his cattle ownership dream. 

“I sold my business, invested some in real estate and bought my first 30 head of cattle from Ernie Deets (a cattle rancher in Dickinson).  Plus, I bought the leases for the land they had been grazing on,” Kelley said. From there, his uncles who had their own cattle joined their herd with his newly purchased cattle. 

Kelley and his uncles collectively own 210 head of cattle and each one needs at least 5 acres of grazing land to survive (10 acres per head is the desired). “Land is scarce now,” explained Kelley and that’s where all his upbringing comes into play as he looks towards the future and secures land leases for his cattle in unpredictable locations. 

Kelley is a third-generation cattleman and wouldn’t be doing what he’s doing if it wasn’t for his grandfather’s teaching and his uncles’ commitment to his success. 

“Without my uncles, I wouldn’t be able to do this. They come out every day and take care of the cattle’s needs, keeping fences repaired and making sure the cattle have hay,” We’ll all be getting together to vaccinate the herd in a couple weeks,” said Kelley

“Wayland always gravitated towards us when he was growing up because we were doing something interesting, so it just became part of him,” said Rick Kelley, one of the four uncles who engages in the labor intense tasks of keeping a herd of cattle. 

“At his wedding reception he surprised us when he announced he wanted to go into the cattle business someday. Now he’s off doing very well with cattle,” said his Uncle L.J. Kelley.

“We don’t know what else we’d be doing, this is our legacy, and we support him because he’s the next generation. We’re all proud of him and what he is taking on with the cattle.” said Rick Kelley. 

Wayland Kelley has a profound believe in the value of all humans and building relationships with people. He feels this is of significance in how he has managed to create opportunities in his life. 

He remembers the way it was for cattle ranching. He knows the ranchers of the area and knows their family histories.  With his respect for the past and people, he keeps his mind set towards the future direction that cattle ranching is heading. His willingness to move to the future is another attribute that keeps him going with his herd and his other pursuits.  

His steadfast faith in his Heavenly Father is another source of guidance and support for Wayland. “If I don’t start my day off with prayer, it’s gonna be a bad day. We all need to be connected to a positive source, we need more faith in God in our nation,” said Kelley. 

In May he and his wife of 26 years, Erika, will be attending officer commissioning ceremonies at the United States Air Force Academy for their son Caleb. Their other son, Jeremiah is attending college studying electrical engineering.