Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 117

66Sunday 171995 ffjrpnl cfttrti CaUeNJirart by the United States and the Republic of China for his role hr the China-Burma-India cam- 17k Kennedy-operated KVTV goes on the air in Laredo Kennedy timeline Vann Kennedy's career epana almoet 70 years Some highlights: Kennedy had prises when! had when II Mayor Luther Jones nesVann Kennedy Day" IMfc Moves to Corpus Chrtsti and establishes KSIX-AM 1-ink Files application with FCC for Channel 10 KZTV's Walter Furtey ink Channel 10 goes on the air as CBS affiliate KS1X-TV Call letters changed in 1958 to KZTV 117k KSIX-FM goes on the' air sold In 1985 -ink Kennedy is among local broadcasters receiving national attention during table wars" 1105: Bom in Halebuig In' 112k Graduates from San Marcos Academy 1U3-24: Attends Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Southwest Tsxas State University) ink Moved to San Marcos with widowed mother 1921: Gets Inteiested In radio dub ink Mayor Mary Rhodes declares ttum Kennedy Day' Rotary Club of Corpus Christ! honors Kennedy on his 90th birthday with party and ceremony Kennedy with President Lyndon Johnson in an undated photo 1 left several enterprises he went to war Managing tiw International News Service bureau in Austin from 1931 to 1942 was not enough for the entrepreneurial Kennedy He had used his savings to found The State Observer a magazine to open a print shop and to launch a newsletter "My idea was in time (tiie Observer) could be a major publication on (political and govern' mental) activities in the he said Thepubllcation boasted read by the people that ran! He owned a print shop in south Austin that printed nine publications' Ahead of the newsletter era Kennedy circulated an oil and gas publication that focused on Industry-related developments at the state leveL The publication 1 popularity kept a stream of Income flowing while he served iriWWII Mary Kennedy operated her husband Austin enterprises during the war with the help of a a I860 1370 W' 1080 2000 bad an appealing desire to bam i i ink Hires UT student Walter CronkHeat the Austin news bureau 1927-39: Works for a variety of newspapers lini: Havels to New York to convince international News Service to open a bureau in Austin Serves as bureau manager from 1931 101942 194k Marries Mary Li WttUiff -From Kennedy introduction of longtime friend m-to WomBT wVunlUI0 atSpohn Hospital South Texas Lyceum At left Cronkite Kennedy wife Mary and Kennedy are shown together in 199a KENNEDY ROM MCI GI patients without thought commendation or fee When his father also a physician died of tuberculosis near the time of Kennedy birth the family suddenly hoed the prospect of impoverishment Kennedy mother was left without an income to support him and his sister Blanche at a time when it was difficult for a woman to earn a sustaining income in that part of Alabama Kennedy mother learned of a Job opening in San Mateos and moved the family there in 1919 She was hind as an accountant at San Marcos Academy Mary Kennedy said her husbands grandmother also moved with the family to San Marcos She encouraged Kennedy from his childhood to have high aspirations and go beyond a superficial analysis of problems and events Kennedy was 16 when in 1921 he built his first radio receiving set He recalled that it consisted of a crystal detector attached to a coil of wire wrapped around a lacquered oatmeal box which was attached to a wire strung in a tree With a few adjustments he could pick up radio station WOAI in San Antonia This began Kennedy great love of radio Kennedy graduated from San Marcos Academy in 1923 and enrolled at Southwest Texas State Tfcachers College (now Southwest Texas State University) It was also at this time that he began to intertwine his entrepreneurial skills with die newspaper business While delivering milk to homes in San Marcos he took an opportunity to deliver the Austin American-Statesman as welL Vann was very prepared Every paper had to be put on the porch Mary Kennedy said It wasn't long before Kennedy expanded his route by hiring other boys to work for him "He always managed to be in charge Mrs Kennedy said At the same time Kennedy earned extra money by sweeping out the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce office for $150 per week Kennedy persuaded Chamber officials to hire him Later he asked them to allow the bundle of papers he delivered to his customers to be dropped at the door of the Chamber The newspapers often were wet with dew because Statesman drivers dropped them on corner lawns In exchange Kennedy agreed to sweep the chamber offices for free Chamber of and a few tend- 194k Volunteers for Wbrtd War II Decorated by both US Army and Republic of China she had to sen the print shop and end some of the other enterprise Link Passes Texas State Bar after taking courses at UT Law School Kennedy (left) with Gen Joseph Whnen Stillwell World War II commander US forces in China Burma and India es reporter The editor could not turn down the shy but eager Kennedy "That was it Mary Kennedy said "Vann feel in love with reporting He think of a kinder man a man of more geo-titity He has never disappointed anybody in terms of his personal integrity and code of Walter Cronkite When Kennedy returned to Austin from WWII he began to scout Texas for tiie best dty in which to launch a radio station' He and his wife found an oppor- tunity in 1946 to start KSIX-AM in Corpus Christi With an $11000 nest egg partially 1 from the sale of their print shop in Austin and other resources the Kennedys set about to start a radio tion guess it was relatively naive to think of starting up a station on $11000 even then" Kennedy said The Corpus Christi Broadcasting Ca was formed that year with the Kennedy? nudear physicist and businessman James Burney Corpus Christi attorney Cedi Burney WOAI radio broadcaster-Kendall McClure KSIX commercial manager Charles Manning and busi-1-1 nessman Thurmond Krueger mostly I World War II veterans i The Kennedys also started a family "i Their daughter Kathleen was reared In Corpus Christi She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English at the University of Tfexas then a doctorate in molecular biology from Vanderbilt University She 1 now is a molecular biologist at North Carolina Biotechnology Center 1 Rearing a daughter and getting tiie radio station on the air was relatively 1 easy the Kennedys said compared with tiw Federal Communications Commission licensing battle that would" lead to the first television broadcast on' Channel 10 In Corpus Christi on Sept 30 1956 Kennedy learned on July 13 1956 after1 a four-year legal battle with two other groups that me Federal Communications Commission had granted the shareholder group Kennedy- represented KSIX Television Inc a license to broadcast on Channel 10 1 But there was little time for Kennedy savor this milestone The Kennedy had risked everything ta" get the television station on the air r-Kennedy understanding the laws of incorporation in Texas sold shares in the Victoria before she settled in San -Antonia While serving there as tiie editor of the Texas Hotel Review she remembered that a Victoria Chamber of Commerce official had suggested that she look up Kennedy in Austin describing him as "one of the best newspapermen and finest gentlemen in When her Job at tiie Review took her to Austin in 1938 she called on Kennedy at the bureau It was love at first sight she said "There he was He had on a blue jacket white shirt and a maroon tie and that was it Just one look was all it took" Kennedy courted his wife with a stream of books pointing out tiie passages he wanted her to read to reveal what continues to be a deep and lasting affection for his partner In business and marriage Mary Kennedy has kept an example -a -Western Union telegram from 1940 in which her suitor said: permanent address one eleven item Triple ExVann" Translated she said the message told her to look at a quotation on Page 111 in a Tfegore anthology Sir Rabindranath Thgore an Indian poet who wrote many stirring poems and songs about freedom and beauty in nature won the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature The passage expressed the idea that Mary Kennedy home was always in his heart The Kennedys were married in 1940 but enjoyed only about two years together before war separated them Kennedy had served in the military reserves and volunteered for active duty though he was not obligated to serve in World War II just thought it was his duty he very patriotic" said Mary Kennedy Kennedy entered the war as an Army -curtain and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel by war end He was commissioned as a full colonel in the late 1940s while still active in the reserves and tiie National Guard Many still know Kennedy by his military title calling him Col Kennedy Kennedy service included participation in the US effort to help locals drive the Japanese out of China Burma and India Some of his early duties included -setting up the infrastructure for radio operations Ultimately he was decorated loved covering the police beat But he was doing all thesq Jobs to earn money for law school People often tell me: husband could not have done all those tilings When did he sleep? Where did he get tiie Eventually Kennedy gave up the police beat to get a taste of sales at a labor Journal in Houston figuring tiie move would mean more money But he soon missed reporting and returned to San Antonia landing tiie courthouse beat at the Evening News He made enough money to return to Austin and law school but newspaper work had him hooked about one year in law school I found that I was much more interested in Looking back Kennedy said Journalism satisfied young man longing for excitement and adventure fulfilled his creative urges gave him a dunce to improve his station in life and also gave him a voice with the public Kennedy always has believed that journalists are obligated to improve society by informing the public While attending law school on his savings Kennedy founded the Capital Weekly Press and became an Austin correspondent for The Houston Chronicle Dallas Times-Hemld and San Antonio Ught He also became an Austin correspondent for the International News Service a competitor to the Associated Press and what then was United Press (now United Press International) A turning point in Kennedy career came in 1931 when he traveled at his own expense to New York City to persuade International News Service to open a bureau in Austin The wire service agreed and made Kennedy the bureau manager The AP and UP worked out of the same offices at the Capitol Building in Austin but Kennedy managed to get his own office While running the bureau he continued taking law courses at tiie university In 1934 he passed the Texas State Bar examination and was admitted to practice He has practiced law primarily as it relates to broadcasting The year 1934 holds other memories as well In that year as the bureau manager at INS he hired Cronkite as a reporter Cronkite first Job in Journalism Cronkite worked for Kennedy about a -year before landing a Job with a Houston newspaper Kennedy and Cronkite have kept in touch ever since Not long after launching Cronkite career Kennedy met the woman he would many Mary Louise Wittliff The two are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary today Mary Kennedy an Associated Press reporter who had worked near Kennedy office at the capitol had firsthand knowledge of Kennedy style with reporters Kennedy was not hesitant to mark up a sentence or paragraph he thought should be rewritten Mary Kennedy recalled a story she once heard about one of her husband reporters "He worked on a story and made sure every word was perfect Then he slammed his story down in front of Ml Kennedy and said: something to mark up on Mary Kennedy who is active at KZTV in helping hire and manage personnel and other departments calls herself her husband biggest fan and remains exuber-er their fl first meeting almost 60 Kennedy never graduated from Southwest a college that would honor him in 1987 as a distinguished alumnus After two years he decided to take prelaw courses at the University of Texas Kennedy needed money for his law studies So when the Statesman's circulation director William Prescott Allen became circulation director at the San Antonio Express and Evening News Kennedy Joined the Express staff He was responsible for circulation at -Fort Sam Houston and another military camp eventually supervising 30 carriers Again Kennedy canred out an opportunity for himself The Express decided to distribute small crystal radio sets as a subscription bonus But in those days people take a radio home and simply turn it on a set had to be installed property Kennedy was die only person in the San Antonio area the Express could find to install the radio sets Through his outstanding performance Kennedy came to know A Grant then the managing editor of the Express One day while chatting with Grant Kennedy asked to become a police television station He placed the proceeds in escrow with tiw understanding -that the money would be used only if the1 FCC awarded Kennedy group the license to broadcast The money was to be returned to shareholders if another group received a grant to broadcast on tiie frequency If KSIX Television received tiw grant the money would be used to help build and operate the station Please aaa PUBRV7 She lot her home in Cleveland in 1937 to find adventure and possibly a career in Journalism Her path wound through several cities including New Orleans and Kennedy gave youngsters such as one Walter Cronkite a break Reporters he trained remember local broadcast executive as fair knowledgeable I ever wanted was a chance and (Kennedy) save it to me when nobody else would Sallnas said her voice cracking with emotion know how many times I've thought about The Colonel (Kennedy) The man is brilliant What he teaching is so valuable: You newspaper in Houston "It meant everything in tiw world to my Cronkite said in a telephone interview think of Vann Kennedy as my mentor" "At first I wasn't anything more than a glorified office boy but as time went on he eventually began to trust me got more confidence in me and actually 1 me some stories" Cronkite have to pay your dues you have to work "Vann Kennedy has been a far more important figure in Texas Journalism ancj politics than a lot of people give him credit Cronkite said "What a tutor he was" Vann Kennedy hired Walter Cronkite more than 60 years ago Cronktte still considers Kennedy a mentor Former Channel 10 anchor Mary Alice Salinas said Kennedy was a steadying influence By Sieve Stew Gdler-lliiies Most of the hundreds of young reporters Vann Kennedy has hired in his 60 years in journalism have faded into anonymity One Walter Cronkite became a household name Kennedy was able to convince International News Service then a competitor to The Associated Press and United Press to open a bureau at the Capitol in Austin in 1931 and Kennedy was named bureau manager Eventually the service allowed Kennedy to hire a cub reporter In 1934 Cronkite a skinny teen-age -University of Texas student reported to work at the INS bureau Cronkite had been planning a career in mining engineering but after a year under Kennedy tutelage he had become an inspired journalist and decided to gjve up his studies and work at a springboard for their careers Cronkite demonstrated the drive and eagerness that still leads Kennedy to take a chance on a beginner when others won't Kennedy said Former Channel 10 anchor Mary Alice Salinas now on the news staff at NBC-owned and operated WRC-TV in Washington DiC was such a case Salinas who also has the promise of reporting assignments at NBC Washington bureau said that Kennedy gave her a chance when no one else would i She had tired of doing a television talk show in Laredo and had come back to Corpus Christi and her family to put her life in perspective When she decided to return to television every avenue seemed blocked back into television Is so difficult once you're out" Salinas said But in 1989 she applied at KZTV Kennedy was impressed with Salinas and hired her as a general assignments reporter Later she became the solo anchor for tiie 6pm and 10 pm newscasts In 1993 she joined Harte-Hanks-owned CBS affiliate KENS-TV in San Anemia 4 Cronkite said he was shy at first about approaching the busy Kennedy But when he asked him a question about an assignment especially about Texas politics and state government Kennedy always could direct him to the right source that would open the door to the heart of a story knew more about Tfexas politics than any reporter in the state" Cronkite once confided in Mary Kennedy Kennedy wife: "The most important thing Vann taught me was to be fair and This past Thanksgiving as he has done during the holidays for the past 60 years Cronkite called Kennedy to express his best wishes Kennedy said that over the years he has Salinas mmm wtfuf cromcro tried to keep up with the careers of the people he has hired "A noble but impossible task" Kennedy said To hundreds of reporters technicians and broadcasters including Valerie Hoff of Headline News Kennedy provided the 4.