John Walter Kennedy ’72

John died June 8, 2004, of a heart attack in Chestertown, Md., where he and his wife, Cherilyn Widell, had recently moved from Menlo Park, Calif.

John was born on Staten Island and graduated from North Babylon High School on Long Island, where his intelligence and determination on the football field made up for his size and earned him a spot on the varsity squad. At Princeton he played 150-pound football, and lived in Wilson College. His '72 roommates included Rick Richard, Brian Smith, Bob Putnam, and Al Rogers; other close '72 friends included Cal Kendrick and Owen Curtis.

Graduating with an AB cum laude in statistics, John went on to earn a master's at Rutgers. He built a career as an independent consultant in clinical biostatistics, based in Plainsboro, N.J., until his move to California in 1990. John lectured and consulted widely in the international medical-products industry, chaired association committees, and contributed frequently to professional journals and seminars.

Besides Cherilyn, John's survivors include his mother, Alicia Quinn Kennedy Geye; sisters Anne Kennedy Haney and Jane Kennedy Stahl; cousin Andrew Lochart '86; and numerous nieces and nephews. The class sends its sincere condolences to all.

The Class of 1972

Comment Archives

Ann Kennedy Says:

2009-11-09 09:26:35

It's been five years, and I still miss John. It's nice for me to go on line and read all the remembrances other people have of him. This is a great site. Thank You. Ann Kennedy, John's sister

Jim C. March Says:

2011-03-15 09:36:50

The first time I met John, he was helping my brother, Rod ’81, put on a play at Princeton in the fall of 1975 (I think it was "Steambath"). John gave me a lift in his car, which was covered in an oily film that made it hard to see out the windshield. It was raining, but the wipers made no impact. The grime was from John's cigarette smoking. During that first meeting, I never saw John without a smoke in his hands. We met many more times over the years, through my visits with my brother. John and I had a connection, too, since I got a master's in statistics from Stanford. Funny, but even though we were both statisticians, it seems my brother won at poker more times than I'd like to admit! I miss John. He was such a good friend to my brother and never hesitated to welcome me when my brother invited me to principally Princeton gatherings.

Class Year:

Undergraduate Class of 1972