John Kelso

John Kelso was born to James Kelso from Nebraska and Joann Kelso from Missouri who were of Scottish and German ancestry. His father James was an inventor of many things, the most famous of which was a video paddle game that became Atari Pong. John was a Blacksmith & Farrier, sought-after for both by horse owners in Kansas City. When a horse kick splintered the bones in his right wrist, he returned home for corrective surgery at UCLA Medical Center. His farrier career finished, he returned to education, attending Santa Monica College, before matriculating to UCLA where he took a B.A. in Political Science. His welding and metallurgical skills proved a blessing, as John found more work on the sets of Hollywood than were available to him via his college degree. Known for his very strong work-ethic, and the ability to deliver very challenging construction projects on time and on budget, John acquired a reputation around town as a go-to guy for strange and interesting projects such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Terminal, Universal's back lot re-build: "The Phoenix Project", and CSI Miami. The CSI Miami Crime Lab that was first seen in Season 4. Curved steel and glass walls that lean at 7 degrees and are suspended off the floor. Each wall has 1000 panes of louvered glass and several glass doors. The Phoenix Project was a massive 8 acres of sets and 1,200 tons of steel.