Rose Kemp

Rose Kemp, a lifelong Kansas Citian known throughout the country for her leadership and vision, died Saturday, November 19, 2005. She was 72 years old. An advocate for women and minorities, Mrs. Kemp began her federal career during the first Eisenhower administration with the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. She joined the U.S. Department of Labor in 1970, and in May 1983, she was appointed Regional Administrator of the Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, the position she held until her death. In her position as Regional Administrator, Mrs. Kemp was responsible for policy development and the implementation of Women's Bureau and U.S. Department of Labor objectives and programs. She dedicated her career to empowering others, and proudly served her country for several decades as a public servant. During her remarkable career, Mrs. Kemp witnessed many positive and progressive changes in the workplace, and remained optimistic about the future and the continued efforts for women and minorities to achieve economic parity. She worked tirelessly to help others overcome obstacles, and enjoyed tremendously the friendship and support of colleagues and friends who shared her vision for equity. Mrs. Kemp devoted her personal time and resources to several community boards and organizations. She served on the boards of directors for the Federal Executive Board; the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare Advisory Board; Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries; the National Youth Information Network; CORO; the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research; the University of Missouri-Kansas City Women's Center, Women's Council and the Starr Symposium. Through her involvement with the UMKC Women's Council, Mrs. Kemp established a Graduate Assistance Fund fellowship in her name to encourage and advance the educational pursuits of women students at UMKC. She was a member of the Jackson County Chapter of The Links, Inc.; the Greater Kansas City Urban League; the National Museum of Women in the Arts; and, the Francis Child Development Institute; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and the Truman Scholars. Among the many awards bestowed upon Mrs. Kemp, she proudly received the U.S. Department of Labor Distinguished Career Service Award; the 1990 Jones Store Company Woman of the Year; the 1991 Kansas City Spirit Award; the 1995 Missouri Department of Economic Development Leadership Award; the 1996 YWCA Hearts of Gold Award; the 1996 Alpha Kappa Alpha Community Service Award; and, the Kindest Kansas Citians Award. Mrs. Kemp was named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Citizens in the Greater Kansas City area in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998. The Kansas City Star profiled Mrs. Kemp as one of the area's "Difference Makers," and in January 2004, Ingram's Magazine named her a Living Legend. In 1995, Mrs. Kemp served as a delegate at the Nongovernmental Organization Forum and the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. As a result of this international service, she was instrumental in bringing the movement to the Kansas City area through program development in many facets involving working women. In 1997, she was a member of the U.S. delegation of women chosen to join the first Vital Voices Conference in Vienna, Austria, and played an active role in addressing issues that affect women globally. In addition, she was a delegate at the Women's Economic Summit in London in 1997. She contributed her expertise and talents to the Women's Employment Initiative in Northern Ireland, where she consulted with employers interested in implementing family-friendly workplace programs, focusing on childcare for working women. Her travels to Budapest, Hungary; Vienna, Austria; and Paris, France also enabled Mrs. Kemp to play an active role in Women's Vision International, an organization which named her 2001 Visionary of the Year. In April 2000, the Missouri Women's Council, through the State of Missouri Senate, 90th General Assembly, created the Rose Kemp Public Service Award in glorious honor for her achievements and vision. This named award was also recognized in the U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., and the City of Kansas City, Missouri Council. That same year, the Federal Women Program Managers established the Rose Kemp Award to recognize women in the community who exemplified the level of volunteerism and public service that Mrs. Kemp did throughout her career. Mrs. Kemp was nominated in October 2005 for a second U.S. Department of Labor Distinguished Career Service Award, a recognition traditionally awarded only once during one's federal career. Mrs. Kemp attended public schools in Kansas City, Kansas, and later attended Kansas City University (now, University of Missouri-Kansas City). She also studied at the University of Oxford; Oxford, England. She loved spending time with her children, working, home design and decorating, collecting fine art, and travel; her favorite destinations were Cotton Plant, Arkansas (her father's birthplace); Memphis, Tennessee; New York City; and, Washington, D.C. Mrs. Kemp was born May 4, 1933, in Kansas City, Kansas to Rufus Correll and Verna Mae Washington; she was also the granddaughter of Rosa Mayhew Jackson, whose family settled in southeastern Kansas in the late 19th century as castor bean farmers. Mrs. Kemp was the widow of William M. Kemp, Jr., whose career was devoted to the U.S. Air Force as well as the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War. She is survived by her two children, Kenneth H. Washington and Deborah R. Washington Kemp; two grandchildren, Brandon K. Washington and Krystal H. Washington; and, two great-grandchildren. She also leaves a sister, Dorothy D. Henderson, Kansas City, Missouri; and, a brother, Willard D. Washington, Potomac, Maryland, a host of nieces and nephews, many friends and loved ones. She was preceded in death by three brothers, Winston Ellsworth, Reginald Cecil, and Vernon Roosevelt. Visitation is on Friday, November 25, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Thatcher's Funeral Home, 1520 North 5th Street, Kansas City, Kansas. Funeral services begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 26, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 11822 Holmes, Kansas City, Missouri, The Rev. John Weiss officiating. Entombment immediately following the Funeral Mass at Faith Mausoleum, Mount Moriah & Freeman, 10507 Holmes, Kansas City, Missouri.