June 12, 1922-June 27, 2014
Professor, writer, outdoorsman, public servant
REMEMBERING | Robert E. Hartley
A first impression of David Kenney revealed a fraction of the man. He was mildmannered, openly friendly, never cursed, and his manners were almost Victorian. To those who discovered his career as a university professor, he came across as a kind of southern Illinois version of Mr. Chips, the character from British literature.
Those who came to know Kenney would be amused at that characterization. It belies his intensity of intellect and drive for perfection covering a multitude of contributions to higher education, public service, political thought and private pursuits that amazed his friends.
Some of that intensity can be seen in his devotion to breeding, training and owning Brittany Spaniels. He had a national audience and reputation for his work with, and ownership of, the hunting dogs. There was a dedication to perfection in the training and standards for shows that Kenney respected. He wrote frequently for publications aimed at dog owners.
Another example of his personal drive came with the territory. A native of southern Illinois and a consummate outdoorsman, Kenney loved to be in the field or on the water as the seasons rolled around. Hunting upland game birds and fishing came second nature to him, and not just in southern Illinois. He knew trout fishing in Missouri waters like the back of his hand. He was an outdoor writer with a national following.
In Carbondale, his hometown, the connection with Southern Illinois University was foremost. He had all the required degrees, including a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois. He wrote articles, reports and books – his favorite was a biography of Illinois Gov. William Stratton – that kept him on the straight academic road. However, the commitment to higher education also resulted in a resumé with variety. He joined the SIU faculty in 1951 and until 1965 he taught political science and served as assistant dean and then dean of the graduate school. Countless students who passed through his classes testified to his effectiveness in the classroom and outside it. From 1966 to 1972 he was director of the SIU Public Affairs Research Bureau. Kenney was a faithful Saluki sports fan.
The trail to public service adds a quite different, if related, element to his contributions.
As part of a deep interest in Illinois state public affairs, Kenney ran for public office as a delegate to the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention in 1969 and 1970. He won, and did much more than fill a seat at deliberations. Before serving as a member of the Revenue and Finance Committee, where he led discussion groups, Kenney wrote a background paper for con-con delegates, “Representation in the General Assembly,” in which he discussed the number of chambers, terms of office and cumulative voting. In the convention’s aftermath he joined others in writing “Roll Call: Patterns of Voting in the Sixth Constitutional Convention (1975).”
Kenney’s activist behavior in conserving the state’s natural blessings and his familiarity with state government led to his one departure from the confines of higher education. Gov. James R. Thompson appointed Kenney
director of the state Department of Conservation in 1977. He did not always see eye to eye with Thompson, but he served seven years in the position before he was pushed out. Politics he knew, but he found it confining. He returned to SIU where he was a visiting professor of political science from 1986 to 1993.
After his ouster by Thompson, Kenney served briefly as founding director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). He took great pride in that role, and appeared often on programs of the agency’s annual history conference.
In his retirement, David wrote and wrote some more. He produced an autobiography titled In It to Win It. I am proud to have co-authored with him two nonfiction books that were published in 2002 and 2006. Ever curious about public affairs, Kenney contributed columns on a wide range of issues for the Southern Illinoisan newspaper.
Those who served years with Kenney in the Carbondale Lions Club remember him as the “champion pancake flipper” at the annual Pancake Days event. It was just another example in his pursuit of perfection. He was a familiar sight proudly wearing his World War II Army Air Corps staff sergeant’s uniform at community ceremonies.
Those in Carbondale and elsewhere could not recall David Kenney without mentioning his beloved wife, Wanda. They traveled to faraway places and welcomed visitors to their home in Carbondale. They had no children of their own, but lavished love and affection on nieces and nephews.
In remembrance, and to borrow an apt phrase, David Kenney gave fresh meaning to the term “A Man for All Seasons.”
Bob Hartley and David Kenney began a close personal and working relationship in 1997. They wrote two books together about Illinois senators and historic mine disasters in Centralia and West Frankfort.
