William Charles Kennedy

1935 - 2020

William Charles Kennedy

Knoxville - William Charles Kennedy passed away June 20, 2020 in Knoxville, TN at the age of 84, following a long illness. He was born in St. Paul, MN on Sept 7, 1935. At the age of 5, he moved to Rochester, MN, where he attended elementary school and graduated from Rochester High School in 1953. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served four years in Texas, Germany and Crete. In 1962, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA degree, and he taught in the Beloit, Wisconsin Public School System. He married Patricia Ringer in 1962. In 1967, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a terminal degree of an MFA in printmaking. He was employed by Whitewater State University in Wisconsin from 1967 to 1968. In 1968, he moved to Knoxville after being hired by the University of Tennessee to establish the graphic design program in the School of Art, and in 2003, he retired as Professor Emeritus. Over the course of those 35 years, he was active in the College of Liberal Arts, helped establish the Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts advising program, served two terms on the Faculty Senate, and was Associate Head of the Art Department for 15 years. He participated in a wide variety of exhibitions and is represented in collections in NC, GA, MN, OH, WI and KY. He is survived by his wife, Pat, sons Chad and Derek, daughter-in-law Chloe, and grandson Sam. Due to the coronavirus, funeral services will be confined to a graveside service for family only. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Graphic Design, School of Art, University of Tennessee, and St. John XXIII Parish,1710 Melrose Place, Knoxville, TN 37916.