Dr. Eddie Newman

My name is Eddie Newman, and I can proudly say I have known John J. Kennedy for almost fifty years. I first met him while I was working as a new teacher at McKinley Junior High School in Pasadena. It was there as a student that his skills as an orator and leader emerged. Over the years I have witnessed those skills be refined and grown into quality leadership and a recognized voice in the City of Pasadena. As a young man, John took over the leadership of the Pasadena NAACP and revitalized the organization, into a relevant, effective voice, representing the community at large and especially embracing the younger generation in Pasadena. I admired how he encouraged young people to get involved in order to make a difference and improve the communities in which they live. These early involvements were the platform which provided the necessary training for his prominent role in Pasadena governance.

When Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley was running for governor of California, I had the pleasure of co-hosting with John a highly successful fundraiser in my home. John was always accessible for even the smallest request. His commitment to excellence was evident in the details of his work and he leaves this legacy for future generations.

My fondest memory is when John would send out positive messages. either by email or text. His wisdom could be a prayer, a scripture or relevant article. I would tell him, “You missed your true calling. You should have been a minister.” Like a good shepherd, John always took good care of his flock. John, your caring heart and good work for Pasadena will never be forgotten.

Jim Osterling

Pasadena City College Board of Trustees

Back in 2015, I was a political neophyte. I was asked by then Mayor Terry Tornek to run for elected office. Terry set up a 1-hour breakfast meeting with Councilmember John Kennedy for me to ask for his endorsement. We learned we had a lot in common. We shared fond stories about growing up in our respective large families (John’s with 10 children; mine with 8 children), our love of basketball and other sports, and our experiences at USC.

Mostly we talked about the Pasadena community he grew up in and loved. John was very passionate about meeting the needs of the underprivileged in his community through affordable housing, educational opportunity, and social justice.

Three hours later, I left the breakfast with John’s endorsement and a new friend. My experience was not unusual. John was quick to make friends with anyone that shared his goal to improve the community. I had the pleasure of many more meals with John (But only now do I realize how precious each was).

To be clear, John did not go easy on his many friends. He challenged us to do more, do better. He challenged me in my role as PCC Trustee to make certain the African American community was welcome on the PCC campus and appropriately represented in both the student population and the employees at PCC.

I periodically showed him our progress on developing affordable apartments in Pasadena. He challenged us to improve the design. We were fortunate to have John as the featured speaker at the groundbreaking for Pasadena Studios and he challenged everyone there to meet his goal to build 1,000 units of much needed housing in 1,000 days.

We are proud to have helped contribute towards his goal.

John has left us much too soon, but I have no doubt that his legacy will continue. He will continue to inspire us by his example to do more, do better for our community.

With warmth and love for a dear departed friend.