Don Kennedy facts for kids

Donald J. Kennedy (born March 2, 1930 – died June 29, 2023) was an American radio and TV star. He was also a talented voice actor. His career started in the late 1940s as a radio announcer in Pennsylvania.

Don Kennedy's Career Highlights

In the mid-1950s, Don Kennedy worked on a weekend radio show called Monitor for the NBC Radio Network. He created many fun stories for the show. One popular story was about a local person known as the Goat Man.

Many people remember Don Kennedy as Officer Don. He hosted a very popular children's TV show in Atlanta called The Popeye Club. This show was on Channel 2 WSB-TV from 1956 to 1970. While working on The Popeye Club, Kennedy also started his own FM radio station in Atlanta, 96.1 WKLS (which is now WWPW). He was the president and general manager of the station. The "K" in the station's call sign (WKLS) stood for his last name, Kennedy.

Later in his career, Don Kennedy became a voice actor for television. He lent his voice to characters like Tansit in Space Ghost Coast to Coast. He also voiced several characters on The Brak Show and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

In 1986, he began hosting Big Band Jump. This was a radio show that was heard all over the world. It played music from the Big Band era, which was a popular style of jazz music from the 1930s and 1940s. He later started another show called The Don Kennedy Show. This program featured popular songs from the 1940s to the 1970s. It also played new versions of classic American songs. Don Kennedy was also the voice for a kiddie ride based on Superman: The Animated Series. He recorded a new version of the classic Superman radio show introduction for it.

Don Kennedy received many awards for his work. These included the Silver Circle Award and two Emmys. He also got awards from the Pioneer Broadcaster and Georgia Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. He was an honorary member of the Di Gamma Kappa Broadcast Fraternity at the University of Georgia.

Kennedy also helped many good causes. He was the president of the Georgia Chapter of Muscular Dystrophy. He was also the treasurer of the Atlanta Humane Society. He served on the board of the Atlanta chapter of the American Cancer Society. He even volunteered to read for the Georgia Radio Reading Service for the Blind.

In the summer of 2013, Don Kennedy announced he would retire from radio. His last broadcasts of Big Band Jump and The Don Kennedy Show were on September 28–29, 2013.

Don Kennedy's Passing

Don Kennedy passed away on June 29, 2023, at the age of 93. His daughter, Rebecca Maple, shared that he had been dealing with health issues since 2015.

Voice Acting Roles

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force (various episodes, 2001–2010) as Assisted Living Dracula, Vegetable Man & Rubberman (Lance Potter)
• The Brak Show (2001–2003) as Morlun, Poppy
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast (various episodes, 1994–1999) as Tansit, Bill Manspeaker
• Acme Radio Hour (1995)