Kay Kennedy: Gift of a Lifetime

1946 WIU graduate Olga “Kay” Kennedy may have lived in Chicago, the San Francisco Bay area, and Kansas, but west-central Illinois was truly her home. Known around campus for the property she donated to Western known as Vishnu Springs, Kennedy had a vibrant history of her own in this place she called home. She died a year ago at the age of 92, and her estate included a gift of land and real estate valued at over $2.3 million. The university recently received an additional $1.6 million cash gift from her estate. The funds establish the Kennedy Endowment to fund scholarships.

In 2003, Kennedy donated 140 acres just north of Tennessee, Illinois, including Vishnu Springs, where her family spent considerable time while growing up. She inherited the land from her grandfather, who had refurbished the old hotel building at the former mineral water resort. The property is now known as the Ira and Reatha T. Post Wildlife Sanctuary, named after her grandparents.

“I thought Western could use the property,” Kennedy said in an interview with Western several years ago. “My grandparents instilled in me their passion and enthusiasm for preserving the natural habitat for wildlife and their interest in protecting this sanctuary for future generations.”

“We spent considerable time at Vishnu from the time my grandparents purchased and improved the hotel building so it was livable. The ground floor had the large fireplace, and our family’s rooms were on the floor just above. We had a kitchen, bedroom, and the large full room the width of the building.”

Kennedy claimed that although her grandparents always lived in town (contrary to popular myth), her grandfather tried to visit “the farm” every day, regardless of weather, until his death in 1951.

Kennedy lived with her grandparents in Macomb during junior and senior high school, entering  Western Academy (Western’s laboratory high school) as a freshman the year a new school building opened. “It was a beautiful school,” remembered Kennedy. “Everything was brand new and we had the best of everything.” She worked in the library through high school and graduated in 1942.

She then attended WIU (then known as Western Illinois State Teachers College), earning a degree in physical education with minors in business and biology. All of her practice teaching took place at Western Academy, where she had attended high school. Following graduation, Kennedy taught school in Riverside, Illinois, began graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, taught six years in Illinois schools, and then moved to California. After earning a master’s degree at Stanford University, Kennedy again taught until retiring in 1976. She then lived in Kansas.

Over the years, Kennedy supported the Department of Biological Sciences by providing $50,000 for the purchase of microscopes and also established an endowed scholarship in kinesiology (formerly physical education) with a gift of $50,000. Kennedy’s sense of philanthropy was instilled by her family. Her aunt, Betty Post Cutler, left her estate to Western to help construct and support the College of Fine Arts and Communication Recital Hall. And, of course, her grandparents taught Kennedy the belief in preservation for the greater good.

Kennedy said of the wildlife sanctuary gift to Western: “My grandfather had a love and a vision for maintaining this naturally beautiful piece of land. It is rewarding for me to know that others will have an opportunity to enjoy and benefit from this gift while ensuring that my grandparents’ wishes will be honored.”