Horizon leader Kennedy feted with scholarship

Thursday, June 21, 2007

As Padraic "Pat" Kennedy listened to the list of awards being handed out during the Horizon Foundation's fourth annual awards ceremony June 14, he never imagined that one of them would go to him.

But to his surprise toward the end of the ceremony, it was announced that the Foundation would donate $40,000 to endow a scholarship in his name to help pay for students to attend Howard Community College.

The annual Kennedy Scholarship will give two students who are taking health-related courses at the college one-time awards of $1,000. The college will select them based on their grades and financial need.

"I'm humbled by it," Kennedy, 73, said about the scholarship. "I think it was very nice. I was stunned, surprised and I'm very grateful. I think a scholarship at a community college is terrific."

The scholarship recognizes Kennedy's 35 years of community service in Columbia, said Richard Krieg, president and chief executive officer of the Horizon Foundation.

The $40,000 scholarship also coincides with Columbia's 40th birthday celebration, recognizing Kennedy, who is a longtime community figure, he said.

"It honors Pat, but the award goes to the community college," Krieg said. "It's a way to honor someone not for his service on our board, but for his career."

Active in Columbia since '72

Kennedy is in his ninth year serving on the Horizon Foundation's board of trustees, including three years as chairman. He plans to step down when his term ends at the end of the year, he said.

Kennedy has been active in Columbia since he moved to the city in 1972 when Columbia's founder James Rouse hired him to head the Columbia Association, the organization that governs the community's open space and recreational facilities.

Kennedy worked as CA president for 27 years and was often referred to by some as the town's unofficial mayor.

The New York City native had attended Columbia College in Manhattan and then went on to earn a doctorate degree in history from the University of Wisconsin.

A short time later, Kennedy became one of the first 10 members on the Peace Corps' founding staff. In 1964 he helped create the Volunteers in Service To America (VISTA), a domestic version of the Peace Corps. President Lyndon Johnson would later appoint him the program's national director.

Then in 1970 he served as the director of Boise Cascade's Center for Community Development.

In addition to working for CA, Kennedy is the past chairman of the Columbia Foundation and Columbia Festival of the Arts.

Kennedy also helped create Howard Community College's Columbia Classic Grand Prix event with a horse race that raises funds for the college, he said.

The Horizon Foundation, which promotes health and wellness in the community, is the largest philanthropy in Howard County with $94 million in assets, Krieg said.

The Kennedy Scholarship's annual amount will be funded by the recurring 5 percent interest on the $40,000 fund. Krieg hopes the scholarship's endowment will reach $100,000 one day with additional funding from other groups such as the college itself.