Robert S. Kennedy

Robert "Bob" Senior Kennedy passed away on July 20, 2024, in Portsmouth, NH following a catastrophic bicycle accident. Bob was 76 years old and the healthiest person you'll ever meet�never sick, no medications, never a broken bone or serious injury, never in a hospital, and rarely injured in sporting pursuits. His injury recovery practice was to "run it off" the next day. A social butterfly and loyal friend, all who knew Bob would agree he lived a full and vibrant life. He was an awe-inspiring individual who sought adventure, appreciated the natural environment, maintained a life of health and fitness, loved his family, and fostered deep bonds and lifelong friendships. Bob's profound love for the outdoors was matched by his kindness and caring nature, making him a beloved figure in his personal and professional circles.

Born in New Rochelle, New York April 15, 1948 to Roderick and Jane Kennedy, Bob was a beacon of joy and exuberance, greeting each day with enthusiasm for life and nature. An ornithologist by trade, Bob's academic journey began at Pelham Elementary School in NY, followed by his formative years at New York Military Academy. He continued his education at William and Mary College, earning Bachelor's (1970) and Master's degrees (1971) before completing a Ph.D. in Vertebrate Zoology at Louisiana State University in 1977. During his Ph.D. training at LSU, he met his wife, Anne, in a graduate statistics class, no less. They were married on September 24, 1977 and raised two wonderful children, Forrest and Reeve. When raising their children, Bob and Anne strove to instill a love of nature by spending as much time as possible outside, jumping across granite ledges in Maine or walking and playing on sandy beaches along the Atlantic and Pacific shorelines.

Bob's career as an ornithologist began in earnest when he joined the U.S. Peace Corps as a volunteer Research Biologist with the Philippine Parks and Wildlife Office in 1972. For the next 50+ years, he was an ornithologist and naturalist. He traveled the world studying birds and led more than 35 expeditions into the remote rain forests of the Philippines and other parts of the world. During these expeditions, he and his teams described and introduced more than a dozen new species of animals to the scientific community, including 3 new birds. He published over 65 scientific and popular articles and books on birds, including the definitive A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines, and was an Elected Member and Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union, an honor of which he was very proud.

During his career, Bob's professional posts included: Director of Natural History Collections and Research and Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Cincinnati Museum Center, Director of Natural Sciences at the Maria Mitchell Association, and Director of the Raptor Information Center at the National Wildlife Federation. His work extended to appointments at several institutions, including the National Museum of the Philippines, Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology-Dept. of Ornithology, Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and University of Massachusetts Boston, among others. During his career, Bob raised millions of dollars for research and conservation in the form of grant funding and donations.

While he studied many birds, Bob sometimes called the Philippine Eagle "his first love", a love that led to 35-years dedicated to the bird. He loved the Philippine Eagle, the country and the Filipino people. After retirement, his Filipino colleagues established the Robert S. Kennedy Bird Conservancy in the Philippines, an organization dedicated to saving the Philippine Eagle and other endangered Philippine wildlife and habitat.

Bob also loved New England, and especially New Hampshire. Having attended summer camp there as a child, he jumped at the opportunity to move to the area in 2000 when Anne was offered an academic position at the University of New Hampshire. He was particularly passionate about saving water habitats and dedicated much of his time to the preservation of the Great Bay Estuary. A natural teacher and mentor, he enjoyed sharing his knowledge and love for birds and the natural world with others wherever he was. On Nantucket, he welcomed interns each year to work with him in all areas of natural science. He started a program to install nesting platforms and track Ospreys on their roundtrip journey to South America each year, both on Nantucket and along the NH seacoast. He even built an osprey nest platform on the tidal river behind his house, where he enjoyed watching the ospreys. Bob also started a program to install Barn Owl Boxes throughout Nantucket where Barn Owls were dwindling in number. He loved sharing these programs with others and continued this work after retirement.

On any given weekend, you would have been likely to see Bob toeing the start line of a marathon or running race. He was an accomplished and devoted runner and running ambassador, spreading the joy of running wherever he went, even convincing Anne to join him at races to compete as a racewalker. He was a triathlete, marathon/ultra-marathon runner, swimmer, biker and in recent years, snowshoe racer. Bob picked up running later in life, completing his first marathon at the age of 51. In 25 years, he raced 2 full Ironman triathlons, 299 marathons including 36 ultramarathons, and completed marathons in all 50 States 3 times over! He was about to finish his fourth round this year. Further, he had a Boston Qualifying time and won his age group in all 50 states. Bob was scheduled to complete his 300th marathon in August 2024, an accomplishment he and his friends and family were looking forward to celebrating. His sports accolades are too numerous to list, but he was particularly proud of setting state and collegiate records in swimming in high school and college (before he decided he hated jumping into cold water) and of his New Hampshire state age group running records. He held New Hampshire state records in the marathon (ages 72-76), half marathon (ages 73-75), 15k (ages 75-76); and 20k and 10-mile records for age 75. In early July, he won his age group at the USATF National Vertical Mountain Championship on Loon Mountain. Bob had his sights set on rounding out the age 76 NH records before his next birthday and was already registered for dozens of marathons and other races through the fall and into 2025. A long-term goal was to compete his third full Ironman triathlon at age 80.

Bob loved to run with others and belonged to several local and national organizations, including NE 65+ Running Club, 50Sub4 Marathon Club, 50 States Marathon Club, Marathon Maniacs, Winner's Circle Running Club, Maine Track Club, Exeter Running Club, SIX03, and Sinthy's Wednesday Runners. As President of the NE 65+ Running Club, he worked tirelessly to encourage and recognize 5-year age groups for over age 65 runners and racewalkers because older age groups are too often overlooked in competitive races. After retirement, his boundless energy and love of running led him to develop the Oyster River Running Company to focus on USA Track & Field racecourse certification and race management. Through the Oyster River Running Company, he measured and certified many of the Seacoast races and others throughout the US and was race director for many races. One thing about Bob, was that he was very careful and cautious, always making sure his races were carefully marked to avoid tragedies like the one that befell him.

Bob may have loved supporting his fellow runners as much as he loved racing. He was known for encouraging and cheering on other runners and frequently attended races just to support others. A very steady runner, he also loved to pace other runners at races to help them reach their running goals.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Roderick and Jane Senior Kennedy, and his brothers, Bill and Ricky Kennedy. He is survived by his wife and best friend of nearly 47 years, Anne Broussard, his beloved children, Forrest Kennedy (Fiona Hogan) and Reeve Kennedy (Brett Hermans) and four perfect grandchildren, Cora (8) and Quinn (5) Kennedy, and Whimbrel (5) and Dunlin (4) Hermans. Bob is also survived by a brother, Rod Kennedy; sister, Nancy Kennedy Harris; sister-in-law, Odalis Kennedy; nieces and nephews, Tricia Harris, Steve Harris, and Alexandra Kennedy; and several cousins. His adored pups, Katsu and Miko, also survived him. Bob cared immensely about his family and his loss will be felt deeply.

We take solace in knowing that Bob lives on in the natural habitats in New England and throughout the world that he helped to protect and in the hearts of his many running friends and colleagues across northern New England, the national running community, the Philippines, and beyond who cherish his memory.

As Bob prioritized finding joy in life and sharing it with others, the family asks that you do the same. Go out and do something that brings you joy and share it with others. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve or another conservation organization of your choice.

A celebration of Bob's life will be held at a later date, to be announced, where family, friends, and all who were touched by his spirit can come together to honor his memory and legacy.