People: Kristen Kelch

COUP FOR CHARITY

As the New York bureau chief for People magazine, her job is to cover news and people. So it was ironic when Kristen Kelch, '73, a former reporter for MSU's State News, became a mini-celebrity herself.

In late June, at a charity aution at Christie's in Manhattan, Kelch pulled off quite a coup. She acquired one of Princess Diana's gowns for $26,450--a bargain compared to the $200,000-plus fetched by other gowns. The event was attended by Princess Di (in retrospect, one of her last American appearances). 'Quite frankly, after all those Charles and Di covers, we thought this was a way to give back and benefit charity,' explains Kristen.

The gown had been worn by the Princess of Wales during a trip to Australia, when she fainted, unleashing a media onslaught. 'The tabs went wild,' recalls Kristen. 'Was Di pregnant? Anorexic? So there's a story related to this gown.'

A native of Pittsburgh, later raised in Saginaw, Kristen transferred to MSU from Stephens College, MO, 'because I was tired of classes and wanted to work in a student newspaper, the State News.'

At MSU, she worked at the campus daily 'all the time,' then went on to work for several media--including the Christian Science Monitor and the Providence Journal--before landing at New York Newsday in 1982. She now lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband and daughter. When People decided to open a New York bureau in 1995, about the time New York Newsday folded, recalls Kristen, 'I knew how to do it. I had the experience, and I knew New England. They gave me a staff, an office with a view of Rockefeller Center, and said 'Go for it.' It's been a lot of fun.'

Kristen touts People magazine for its scope of coverage, which can range from disasters like TWA Flight 800 to hero pets and tender profiles. 'If I could only read one magazine, it would be People,' she reasons. 'It tells me everything I need to know to be well-rounded and to keep up with things.'

As to her prized possession, she says she might auction it off again for charity--no doubt to help a cause championed by the late Princess.