Matt got his love of trains from trips he took across America with his father
Published in the April 13-26, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Matt Kennedy
Matt Kennedy
Dennis Kennedy is my father and my hero.
As a human being he had so many exceptional qualities. At the top of the list is the fact he was a dedicated family man. Dad married Therese Mytkos, my mom, in the 1960s. On Jan. 10, 1971 I was born at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose. We lived for about five years in Willow Glen. Then in 1976, our family moved to the Morgan Hill area, living on a one-acre farm on Amberwood Lane one block from the southwestern city limit.
Morgan Hill was an idyllic place to grow up as a little boy. We had a barn where we kept horses, cows and chickens. Sometimes, dad would bring sheep on the property to eat the wild grass because it was a lot easier than using a lawn mower. We would play in the swimming pool and we had wonderful neighbors who would come over to enjoy Easter egg hunts and Fourth of July barbecues in our yard.
A big believer in education, dad made sure I studied hard in school. But we also had fun as a family. Dad got me involved in soccer. He often took mom, me and friends on skiing trips to Tahoe or water-skiing on Anderson Reservoir. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, we piled into our camper every summer and traveled to Yosemite National Park for long weekend trips exploring the wonders of nature. Dad loved the outdoors.
Matt and Dennis Kennedy listen to speakers during the ceremony at which the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center was renamed after the longtime politician who helped get it built. Photo by Mark Fenichel
But there was a dark tinge to those happy times. Mom suffered from multiple sclorsis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Dad was an angel when it came to treating my mom. There’s no other word to describe him. Mom was sick all the time and he was always trying to find a cure for her disease. Dad tried everything to help but nothing worked. I won’t go into details but they ended up separating in the late 1980s when my mom’s parents put her in a convalescent home in Tucson, Ariz. Dad hardly ever saw her again until her death. My dad was crushed and devastated by the sad end to their marriage. He loved mom.
Another way to describe dad was how dedicated he was to making the world a better place for everyone. When we moved to Morgan Hill, dad soon found himself involved in the local politics. In the mid-1970s, there was growing concern about protecting the quality of life of Morgan Hill. Because Silicon Valley was booming, especially with IBM where dad worked as a mechanical engineer for 25 years, developers built many homes in the bedroom community. They even wanted to build houses on El Toro, the town’s landmark mountain. The small town was growing too fast and the sewer and water infrastructure couldn’t handle it. There was not enough classroom space for the children, so schools went into “double session.” Dad realized that he didn’t want Morgan Hill to become a sprawling mess so he joined other people and volunteered his time fighting for smart growth. He wanted to give back, and joined the Morgan Hill Planning Commission. Getting involved in local politics also helped dad get his mind off mom’s sickness. It gave him a release from that emotional pain.
Dad was a deeply spiritual man. I think his Catholic beliefs shaped him in his personal, professional and political ethics. The teachings of Jesus to “love thy neighbor” gave him a moral compass that he followed daily in everything he said and did — and especially in how he treated other people. All his years in Morgan Hill, he stayed active in St. Catherine’s Parish volunteering his time, especially in the church choir. He loved to sing. The Christian teaching to treat everyone with love no matter who they are influenced him deeply. He cared about the people who weren’t lucky in life. He was very concerned about the homeless people as well as day workers who had to struggle against financial hardships. He would talk to these people in a deeply respectful way, showing he valued them as human beings regardless of their social strata. He treated everyone fairly and equally.
Dennis and Matt take a selfie before boarding a train heading home to Morgan Hill after a San Francisco Giants game. Photo courtesy Matt Kennedy
I have a hunch that dad really loved being actively involved in local politics. His involvement wasn’t for any personal gain or ego-stroking or seeking of power for himself. The political process enabled him to do what he desired — make the world better. Being on the city council and later his 12 years as the first directly elected mayor of Morgan Hill gave him the chance to enhance the quality of life in our city. Visit the Community and Cultural Center, the Outdoor Sports Center and the Centennial Recreation Center and you’ll see the spirit of dad in those facilities. An avid swimmer, he was especially proud of the Aquatics Center, which was renamed the Dennis Kennedy Aquatics Center in honor of his vision to build a world-class center.
He was also involved on the Valley Transit Authority board for three terms. Toward the end of his life for several years he was on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board. While with the VTA, he worked passionately to get Caltrans to install a safety barrier on the median along U.S. 101 through South Valley. And with the SCVWD, he worked to get federal funding for work on flood control in Morgan Hill.
There are so many other things dad accomplished that I feel proud of. But his non-stop political activity came with a personal price in his marriage to his second wife. Eileen was a fun and vivacious woman he fell in love with and married in 1998. Unfortunately for their relationship, dad spent countless hours at public meetings and community events. Eileen bravely knew she had to share her husband with others but there was also some resentment of his political life. Dad stayed devoted to her, caring for her with an illness until she died in 2012.
When my mom left our lives during my teenage years, dad and I got really close. We shared a couple of really cool lengthy trips together. In 1985 dad took me on a round-the-country Amtrak journey, heading first on the Coast Starlight from San Jose to Seattle, than along the northern tracks on the Empire Builder to Chicago, and from there to New York City. Among the highlights, we enjoyed fine cuisine and amazing vistas in the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center. We headed south to New Orleans and then through the southwest deserts to Los Angeles, finally finishing back in San Jose. That trip with dad fed my passion for trains and travel. In 1989, I moved to Los Angeles for college. During the summer months for 12 years in a row, inspired by that journey exploring America, I worked for Amtrak.
There are so many more things I want to tell you about my dad. There are so many more ways to describe what an incredible man he was in my life as well as the lives of his friends and family. Maybe it was the Irish in him, but dad had a hilarious sense of humor, able to make a joke or tell a funny story and get everyone laughing — with himself laughing the hardest. He was truly proud of his Irish heritage, reflected in how involved he was in getting the Morgan Hill Sister Cities organization to connect with our community with Headford, Ireland.
He also felt deeply about people. On occasion during a speech, he would find himself choking up when he described someone’s hardship. Despite his own personal pains, he always remained positive and optimistic about life. He had a strength in character beyond anything I’ve ever seen in another person. If someone tried to take advantage of him in politics or professionally, he would stand up against that person. And he cared about kids, wanting them to have happy lives and grow into productive adults. While I was growing up, he took time out of his busy schedule to help me build my self-identity and self-confidence.
I’m so very proud of what my dad has done in his life and for Morgan Hill and Santa Clara County. People tell me that a hundred years from now, Dennis Kennedy will be remembered as a legend of our community, someone who took the small town of Morgan Hill in the 1970s and transformed it into a 21st century city with a high quality of life. Yes, I know he’ll long be seen by people as a role model and a leader on so many levels. But for me, he is my father and my hero.
