UPDATED 10:49 AM EST: The second quote in the article was accredited to Dr. Stephen Koch, but it actually came from former Prof. Lauren Weed. In addition, a new quote was added to reflect Koch’s own speech.
The life of Dr. Bill Kennedy was celebrated yesterday at 4 p.m. in Schneider Conference Room.
The room was filled to the walls with Capital faculty, alumni, and current students.
Pastor Drew Tucker began the ceremony by guiding the audience through a meditation session. Tucker requested that each person think of a special memory of Kennedy, as they inhaled and exhaled deeply.
After the introduction, four speeches were delivered that centered around the impact that Kennedy had on people’s lives.
The speeches illustrated a man who was larger than life; a man that was respected, loved and truly cherished.
A colleague and fellow Capital faculty member, Dr. Stephen Koch, spoke about how unique Kennedy was as a person.
Koch said, “The thing about Bill that attracted you immediately was the combination of the humanity with the intellectual and artistic intensity.”
During his speech, Koch read a note by former Director of Technical Theatre & Design, Lauren Weed. Her writing expressed how much of a blessing it was to work with Kennedy.
In her note, Weed stated, “The world is a better place for having had Bill Kennedy. I am certainly a better person for having Bill in my life. Thank you, Bill, for being my friend.”
The ceremony also acted as a reunion for the former students of Kennedy. Many alumni gathered in the lobby of the Student Union to catch up on each other’s lives.
Kennedy died on Oct. 4, 2021, at the age of 63. He served as director of Theatre at Capital University. Kennedy was a long-serving faculty member, starting as a professor in 1994 before gaining tenure in 2000.
His legacy extends past the Capital community and into the world beyond. During his life, Kennedy was an actor, director, playwright, magician, balloon artist, and clown.
A full obituary can be found here.
