Stroud Carter Kelley

Stroud, 70, of Prague, Czech Republic, died at Motol Hospital on August 6. He was a resident of Austin and the Austin area for more than thirty years. Stroud was born in Victoria on September 19, 1948, the only child of W. H. (“Bill”) and Hyacinth (“Hy”) Kelley. He lived with his parents in Del Rio from 1957 to 1961, then in Vernon until 1963. While in Del Rio he was an active member of the Val Verde County 4H Club, competing successfully in the fat lamb shows. He graduated from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin and received his B.A. (Hon.) in history from the University of Texas and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

Stroud served as committee counsel and special counsel to Texas House of Representatives. From 1978 to 1987, he engaged in private law practice and oil and gas exploration, before joining the Texas General Land Office legal department in 1987, where he held several positions including deputy general counsel and special counsel for energy policy. While at the Land Office, Stroud was among the principal lawyers in a series of major lawsuits brought by the Land Office related to royalties and leasing, including litigation over state leases in the Yates Field in Pecos County. While in high school and university he worked for several years as a newspaper reporter. He was active in Texas politics and in the Texas and Travis County bar associations. Stroud resided in Prague, Czech Republic from 1997 and from 1999 to 2016, he was an international legal and business consultant in oil, gas, and power sector reform in a number of countries, including the Republic of Georgia, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Albania, Montenegro, and Afghanistan.

Stroud was an avid gardener and fisherman, especially on the Devil’s River at Dolan Falls. He will be dearly missed by his friends and family. He is survived by a daughter, Frances Kelley Ozaki of Tokyo, Japan, and a son, William S.W. Kelley of Austin, and a beloved grandson, K.C. Kelley Ozaki; and a cousin, Jo Harrell of Austin.