It was a celebration appropriate for a president, which is fitting for a man who dined with a few in his Pasadena home and at the White House over the years.
It’s been nearly two months since the unexpected death of City Councilman John J. Kennedy, a longtime and revered homegrown leader, died unexpectedly on July 21. But the memory of his baritone voice and political leadership lived on at Pasadena City Hall, where outside in its shadow hundreds united for a celebration of life on Friday, Sept. 30 with his family and the community who knew him best.
Green — Kennedy’s favorite color — speckled the crowd in front of the town hall, which was filled with flags from countries that the councilman had visited during international trips to sister cities over the decades.
They were accompanied by banners featuring Kennedy’s trademark smile and phrase: “One Pasadena,” which flew in the wind above the nearly dozen dignitaries who spoke throughout the ceremony on Friday.
“He was an odd character,” said the Rev. Terry Turrentine, among an array of local clergy, residents, family and elected officials at all levels who praised Kennedy as a trailblazer who touched scores of lives in a city that he loved, and always wanted to improve. “Because he didn’t conform to what we thought was normal. He was ahead of his time.”
Kennedy, born and raised in Pasadena, honed his political leadership skills throughout his life as student body president at Blair High School, student senator at USC and as the youngest person to have served as president of the Pasadena branch of the NAACP, according to Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who spoke Friday via a video message from D.C., shown on two big monitors on either side of the ceremony.
And while he’s no longer alive to serve the community he dedicated a life to, the 61-year-old’s influence on the city of Pasadena will never be in question, according to the hundreds who have steadily offered up condolences and kind words to the grieving members of the Kennedy family in the days since his death.
Indeed, even in disagreement in public life, Kennedy showed dignity. Mayor Victor Gordo joked early in the day that Kennedy maintained a trademark grin even during times of disagreement and debate.
“John, as we all recognize, always served the people of Pasadena,“ Gordo said. “And John did that with great dignity and distinction right until his final days.”
First elected to council in 2013, Kennedy chaired the Public Safety Committee during his tenure and also served on the Finance Committee and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.
Kennedy previously worked for the city of Pasadena in the finance, city attorney, police and public works departments while serving on boards such as the Pasadena Police Foundation, Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCLA, Library Task Force for Alternate Funding, the Community Health Alliance of Pasadena, Community Development Committee, and the Developers’ Selection Committee for Heritage Square Senior Housing Development.
But the sibling of two brothers and seven sisters is best known for representing Pasadena “proudly and tirelessly,” according to his family, in Southern California circles. He also represented the Crown City internationally on numerous occasions.
In 2014, he led a delegation to China, Taiwan and Senegal’s Dakar plateau – Pasadena’s newest sister city, an assignment that was welcomed, his loved ones said, as Councilmember Kennedy had been a People to People student ambassador to several cities in Europe and participated in several goodwill missions to a number of countries in Africa.
On the local level, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Friday remembered crossing paths with Kennedy nearly a decade ago.
“From the start,” she said, “it was clear to me that although we came from different backgrounds we had a lot in common.”
Kennedy advanced the improvements that could make a meaningful impact on the quality of life of the people he represented, Barger said, recalled him working to secure funding for pool and park projects throughout Pasadena.
“I knew I could count on John to keep me rooted and appraised of his community’s needs,” Barger said.
The Rev. Tyrone Skinner noted Kennedy also had an impact outside of the political sphere, evident in the hundreds of condolences sent to the family in the days after the Councilman’s death, which included letters from local commissioners, seniors and even President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
“He loved God, and even Ray Charles could see that,” Skinner said, reading a letter from a senior in his congregation.
“We are keeping you in our prayers during this difficult time,” Skinner added, now reading a letter from the Biden family.
“Although the grieving process never truly ends, we know that the day will come when the memory of John brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye,” Skinner said. “Our prayer for you and your family is that this day arise sooner than later.”
One speaker admitted from the podium soon after that he thought Kennedy would one day grow to be the country’s first Black president.
This is partly because “John was also a person who had no limits,” said Robert Davidson, member and chair emeritus of ArtCenter College of Design’s Board of Trustees.
Davidson recalled Kennedy coming over dinner regularly and helping himself to whatever was served.
Others remembered Kennedy’s own skills as a chef in the kitchen.
Outside of the home, Kennedy was focused on ensuring the youth had the resources to achieve heights they never thought possible.
Sometimes he’d personally take on a mentorship, Davidson said. “Undoubtedly, changing lives in the process.”
Unfortunately, Kennedy didn’t have time to realize all his dreams or make “One Pasadena” a possibility, former Mayor Terry Tornek said Friday.
“But we do,” he added, encouraging everybody in attendance to keep Kennedy’s focus on affordable housing, recreational opportunities and other hot-button issues in district 3 a priority in the city.
Assemblyman Chris Holden echoed the sentiment later in the ceremony.
“John’s service to the community always came from the heart,” Holden said. “At his core, John loved people.”
Thr feeling was exemplified in the many text messages Kennedy would send “to motivate us through the ebbs and flows of life,” Holden said. The devotional messages were send to and appreciated by many in the community.
“We express our deep condolences to Lena, to the Kennedy family,” Holden added. “May God bless you and keep you strong as well.”
After receiving resolutions from the state Senate, the councilman’s sister Lena Kennedy thanked Holden for sticking with her brother in the hours before his untimely death.
She also thanked the community for hosting such an event, which concluded with sweet potato pie — Kennedy’s favorite dessert.
“As our family copes with the loss of John, whom we cherished, we have been supported by all of the city of Pasadena in more ways than you can imagine,” Kennedy said. “John’s loss was not just to our family. It was a loss to an entire community so I ask that we remember how he fought like a champion for his community and that we continue to do that.”