The passing of Mark Kennedy, a former Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, who co-founded an organization to combat child abuse after witnessing it firsthand during his time as a judge, has been announced.
According to his obituary, Kennedy passed away peacefully at his home in Montgomery on July 17, at the age of 72, while being surrounded by his loved ones.
In 1988, Kennedy, who hails from Greenville, secured a seat on the Alabama Supreme Court through an election. He was able to successfully secure a second term in 1994.
From 2011 to 2013, Kennedy chaired the Alabama Democratic Party.
As a former family court and juvenile court judge in Montgomery, Kennedy was motivated to take action and founded the Children’s Trust Fund. This pioneering organization was established in 1983 with the aim of preventing child abuse and neglect.
According to former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb, Justice Kennedy was advocating for children long before it became a popular cause. Cobb acknowledges the significant impact of Kennedy’s vision to establish the Children’s Trust Fund, stating that it’s impossible to measure the thousands of children and families who have benefited from it.
According to Cobb, Kennedy was able to recognize the dire need for additional resources to aid families in crisis that he frequently encountered in his courtroom and ultimately break the cycle of child abuse. This eventually led him to play a key role in the establishment of Children First, another organization aimed at tackling this issue.
According to Cobb, many judges simply perceive their job as making decisions in a courtroom. However, Judge Kennedy had a deeper understanding of the true role of judges, which is to be effective problem solvers.
According to the speaker, judges possess a vast amount of knowledge and understanding regarding societal problems and injustices as they witness them on a daily basis in the courtroom. Judge Kennedy utilized this unique perspective to bring about significant positive changes in the lives of many individuals.
Over two decades ago, Kennedy played a significant role in the revitalization of downtown Montgomery, which included the development of the Riverwalk Stadium, where the Montgomery Biscuits minor league team now calls home.
After 50 years of marriage, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, daughter of Alabama Govs. George Wallace and Lurleen Wallace, is left to mourn the loss of her husband, Kennedy. Along with Peggy, Kennedy is survived by his two sons and their wives, as well as several grandchildren.
Kennedy’s active membership at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery was honored with a memorial service held on Monday.
