By life-long friend and Academy classmate, Iain Christie.
Kennedy Bower Howden, class of 1959, died suddenly in hospital on January 16, 2022. His wife of 54 years, Dorothy, survives him, as well as son Ian, daughter Lindsay and three grandchildren. He was a caring husband, father, grandfather and friend to many.
Kennedy was curious about life and had a great affinity for the world around him, including its suffering and deprivation. Under his genial veneer, there dwelt a practical, competitive, but charitable spirit, with a great love of freedom. In an early charitable venture, Kennedy took two re-conditioned ambulances to a Romanian orphanage from Ayr. He would later support Cancer Research and Erskine Hospital during his many hikes, following Dorothy’s recovery from cancer (See Etcetera, Spring 2017).
Kennedy and I were of course classmates at The Glasgow Academy. There we are pictured below way back in 1955. My school memories aren’t as vivid as they once were, but I’ll never forget running the half-mile at The Academy Sports Day. I nearly died (laughs). I was so unfit, but to my surprise I lead for a good lap and a half. Until Kennedy overtook me that is. He relished the moment. But he did go on to run for the Glasgow Harriers – so such a loss can surely be forgiven.
Kennedy began his adult life working at Remington, Playtex, and James Kilpatrick, whilst also working on his qualifications at Strathclyde University. In August 1975, he was appointed Senior Manager at Ailsa Hospital, in the National Health Service Ayrshire and Arran (NHSA&A). He had found his calling, serving in several NHSA&A health institutions and even playing a major role in its restructuring before retiring in 1997, after 22 years of distinguished service.
In retirement, Kennedy was always ready for new adventures. He treasured his family, invigilated exams at Marr College, and took great joy in his model railway club, tennis, traveling and Rotary, where he became president of the Troon chapter. Kennedy’s heart was in hiking, particularly the pilgrimages on El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Canaries, and the Munros. He set challenges for himself and tramped from lead-in routes in France, Portugal, and Spain. In total, he covered over 12,000 miles hiking the various pilgrimage trails. He also accompanied Dorothy on her trips as an international music festival adjudicator to places like Trinidad and Hong Kong, as well as the UK festivals.
As most of my career was overseas, our friendship flourished at a distance. Kennedy and I exchanged many letters (both hand-written and e-mails) over the years, writing to one another every other month. He was my go-to friend for all things personal, social, economic, and political. He was well-informed and most importantly, a good listener. I could discuss anything with him and always received an informed response – or a candid declaration that he didn’t know (seldom). We discussed a great deal of personal matters over the years and like all good friendships, we were never at a loss for words.
I last saw Kennedy at Christmas 2021. My Wife Stephanie and I had agreed that we would not disturb our friends and family before Christmas, as they would all have their own arrangements complete – and because of concerns over Covid of course. I received a memo from Kennedy, written with the expectation that we were in the US (where we live). My call to him thus came as a big surprise – we were in Helensburgh. Our visit was all the merrier being so unexpected.
I remember well the times we shared. The places we visited. Laughing at jokes over a pint. Or simply just hanging out.
Goodbye, my friend! May you rest in peace and your memory be eternal.
Kennedy Bower Howden (July 4, 1941 – January 16, 2022)
Kennedy was a great guy.