THE PASSING OF HOWARD KENNEDY AND HIS WIFE

From David L. Fulbright

I talked with Clara [Maddox] recently, about the passing of Howard Kennedy and his wife. They were her uncle and aunt. He was a remarkable man. He trained as a school teacher many years ago. He came to Kansas City as a very young man and quickly saw that teachers have a meager lot in life. He helped start a taxi company, Consolidated Cab, in Kansas City. I think he had one partner before it was over. He then invested in rental property. One day, he looked at his wife and said, "We have plenty. My brother has five children to educate. He doesn't have much. We have no children. Let's educate them."

That is what they did. He was my first contact with that line. He was gracious to a fault. He passed away not long ago. His wife just died of cancer. He died not too long ago. I have lost track, but his wife just passed away. They were pivotal figures in that family....obviously. They loved and paid for college educations of five of Clara's generation.