A Tribute to William F. Kennedy, Jr.

Bill Kennedy was a major influence in the shaping of Atlanta over a 40-year span. He loved cities, and especially Atlanta and its surrounding communities. His passion was to help Atlanta grow and prosper while preserving its unique neighborhoods and its historical buildings.

William Franklin Kennedy, Jr., was born in Decatur, Georgia, and grew up with his four siblings in Stone Mountain. His interest in Atlanta began at an early age, frequently visiting the city and studying its buildings and attractions. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia State University, he went on to Georgia Institute of Technology where he completed the coursework for a master’s degree in city planning.

From 1961 through 1995 Bill worked in the City of Atlanta’s Department of Planning, serving the last 15 years as the city’s zoning administrator. A strong advocate for neighborhoods, he was a leading force in establishing Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit program, which gave neighborhoods a voice in the growth of their communities. After retiring from the city, he consulted on major planning and zoning projects throughout the metropolitan area and served as an expert witness in many zoning cases, often donating his time to non-profit groups.

Throughout his career, regardless of what position others took on any issue, they always had great respect for Bill’s vision, his ability to grasp and simplify complicated issues, his fairness, his compassion and his unquestionable integrity.

When Bill passed away suddenly on April 9, 2003, the outpouring of love and respect for him by political and civic leaders, neighborhoods, historic preservationists, developers, clients and friends was overwhelming. It seemed fitting that a memorial to him would be one that will carry on his legacy. To this end, an endowment was established in Bill's name to create a internship at the City of Atlanta Bureau of Planning to be awarded annually to a graduate student in the program of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture.

Bill was an active member of several professional and preservation organizations and spoke at many national conventions. Bill loved to explore cities around the world. After retiring from the city, he generally traveled abroad two or three times a year throughout Europe and China. He was so thorough in his preparation before visiting a city that on his first trip to Rome he conducted a walking tour for a group of tourists he encountered.

Bill was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, often having four books going at one time, and he loved history. A devoted family man, he was the “rock” and the encyclopedia for his three daughters, his mother, his sisters and brothers, all their families, and his many friends.

The William F. Kennedy Jr. Endowment

This perpetual endowment funds an internship for a Georgia Tech graduate student in its City and Regional Planning program to work in the City of Atlanta Department of Planning and Community Development. The endowment is managed by the Georgia Tech Foundation and administered through the school’s Graduate Coop System.

Your contribution benefits Atlanta’s future

Your contribution to the William F. Kennedy, Jr. Endowment Fund provides a living legacy to continue Bill's passion for a tempered growth of Atlanta that synergistically incorporates the old and the new. Georgia Tech students will bring their fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the table to blend with and learn from the experience of long-time city planners. Your contribution is tax deductible and may be pledged over a five-year span.

Thank you!

WILLIAM F. KENNEDY JR. ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE