Search & Rescue Magazine 1973-1984
The Dennis Kelley Archive is a digital archive dedicated to preserving and providing access to Search & Rescue Magazine, the first specialist magazine devoted to American inland Search and Rescue. Published by Dennis Kelley from 1973 onwards, the magazine documented a period of rapid development in search management, bringing together research, operational experience and emerging best practice from many of the pioneers of the profession.
The archive is named in honour of Dennis Kelley, whose contributions to search and rescue extended far beyond the pages of the magazine. Through his seminal book Mountain Search for the Lost Victim, the publication of SAR Magazine, and his involvement in the development of early search management training, Kelley played a central role in documenting, communicating and advancing the principles that underpin modern search planning. At a time when the discipline was still evolving, he provided a forum through which new ideas could be shared, debated and refined.
Although named after Dennis, this archive celebrates the wider community of pioneers whose work appeared in the magazine. Its pages capture the ideas, research and experiences of many of the individuals who helped shape modern inland search management during the formative years of the profession.
Complete collections of SAR Magazine have become increasingly difficult to access. By preserving and making these issues freely available, this archive seeks to ensure that an important chapter in the history of Search and Rescue remains accessible to researchers, practitioners and future generations interested in understanding how modern search management evolved. Whether you are researching the origins of search theory, exploring the development of search management, or simply interested in the history of American Search and Rescue, I hope you find this archive both informative and valuable.
Dr Ian Greatbatch
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Search and Rescue
“The state of inland search planning and SAR management as we know it today would be very different if early innovators such as Dennis had not come together…“
