J. Kevin Kenny

KENNY--J. Kevin January 15, 1936-January 15, 2008. J. Kevin Kenny of North Palm Beach, Florida, passed away on January 15th, 2008 in New York City, on his 72nd birthday after a valiant battle against lung cancer. Mr. Kenny was born in New York City in 1936 to Margaret Connaughton Kenny and John J. Kenny and grew up in Manhasset, NY. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Martha Morgan Kenny, sons, J. Kevin Kenny Jr., James M. Kenny, John J. Kenny II, daughters Christina C. Kenny, Eileen Kenny Araskog, and her husband, William Araskog, and grandchildren, Rand, Christina, Caroline and Jack; sister, Eileen Cullen, brothers Fred P. (Ted), Brian, Michael, his aunt Rita Connaughton, and many nieces and nephews. Kevin graduated Georgetown University in 1958 and served as a 1st Lieutenant in the US Air Force. In June 1961, right out of the Air Force he joined J.J. Kenny Co., Inc., which was founded by his father in 1949. At the age of 31, he became President and CEO , and through his leadership, grew the company into the the largest inter-dealer broker of municipal bonds in the United States, and established the first municipal bond database in the U.S., which was the leading provider of information, evaluation and other services to the municipal securities industry, with over 700 employees in the United States. He sold the firm in 1990 to McGraw-Hill and retired from J.J. Kenny in 1992 whereupon he relocated to North Palm Beach, Florida, continuing his professional career in Real Estate and Private Investments. During his 31 year career on Wall Street he was known for his professionalism and integrity and actively participated on numerous regulatory and rulemaking Boards and Committees for the industry in New York and Washington, DC, including the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, the Securities Industry Association, Public Securities Association, the National Securities Clearing Corporation, and the Securities & Exchange Commission. In recognition of his service to the municipal industry and his outstanding career accomplishments, he received the Municipal Forum of New York award in 1994. Philanthropy was extremely important to Kevin and during his lifetime he devoted himself to many charitable interests, always lending his time and resources to further education, Catholic charities, and medicine. Recognizing the importance of education for all children, he was a pioneer in starting and furthering the Inner-City Scholarship Fund in NYC, providing scholarships, classrooms, and computers for children and serving as patron when needed for rebuilding schools. In 1994 he received the Irish Man of the Year Award for his extraordinary generosity and unselfish commitment of personal and financial resources to St. Thomas Aquinas and other inner-city schools. Georgetown University was extremely close to Kevin's heart. He served on the Board of Trustees and numerous other committees where he actively promoted funding for student aid, academic initiatives and sports. His contributions to the betterment of society and the nation through community service and career accomplishments were recognized in 2000 when he received the John Carroll Award. He actively served on the Boards of St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY and schools including the Green Vale School in New York, and The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, FL. He tirelessly volunteered his time and resources when a need presented itself. He created endowments at Georgetown University, Duke University, and Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a school patron for the Catholic Inner-City Scholarship schools. Kevin was an avid sportsman. While golf was his favorite sport, he enjoyed any activity that involved members of his large family. He was a patient instructor and fantastic coach. Most importantly, he was a devoted husband and father. Throughout his life he believed faith, family, honesty and integrity were the cornerstones of his success. Services: Monday January 21 from 5-7pm; Tuesday January 22 from 4-8pm at Frank E. Campbell, 1076 Madison Ave.; Wednesday January 23 Funeral Mass at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church, 980 Park Ave. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, 1300 US Highway One, North Palm Beach, FL 33408.