Donald Kennedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Kennedy
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| 8th President of Stanford University | |
| In office August 1, 1980 – September 1, 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Richard W. Lyman |
| Succeeded by | Gerhard Casper |
| 6th Provost of Stanford University | |
| In office 1979–1980 |
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| Preceded by | Gerald J. Lieberman |
| Succeeded by | Albert M. Hastorf |
| 12th United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs | |
| In office April 4, 1977 – June 30, 1979 |
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| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Alexander M. Schmidt |
| Succeeded by | Jere E. Goyan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1931 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 21, 2020 (aged 88) Redwood City, California, U.S. |
| Spouses |
Robin Hamill
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Harvard University (AB, MS, PhD) |
| Profession | Professor, journalist, scientist |
Donald Kennedy (born August 18, 1931 – died April 21, 2020) was an American scientist, a leader in public service, and a university professor. He was the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1977 to 1979. He then became the President of Stanford University from 1980 to 1992. Later, he was the Editor-in-Chief of Science magazine from 2000 to 2008. After his time as president, he was known as president emeritus of Stanford University. He also held important roles in environmental science and international studies.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Donald Kennedy was born in New York City on August 18, 1931. His parents were Barbara Bean and William Dorsey Kennedy. He went to Dublin School for high school. After that, he studied at Harvard University. He earned three degrees in Biology from Harvard. He received his Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) in 1952, his Master of Science (M.S.) in 1954, and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in 1956.
Career Highlights
University Professor
From 1956 to 1960, Donald Kennedy taught biology at Syracuse University. He became a permanent professor there in 1960. His early research looked at how nerve cells work in crayfish. He showed that some single nerve cells could control complex movements.
In 1960, he joined Stanford University as a professor. He became a permanent professor at Stanford in 1962. In 1967, he became the head of the Biology Department. He also helped start the Program in Human Biology. He was the director of this program from 1973 to 1977. He also served on the board of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for ten years.
FDA Commissioner
Donald Kennedy worked for the U.S. government for about two years. He was the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is a government agency that makes sure our food and medicines are safe. He was appointed by Joseph Califano in April 1977, during the time Jimmy Carter was president.
During his time at the FDA, Kennedy dealt with important health issues. These included discussions about banning saccharin, a sugar substitute. He also worked on the problem of antibiotics becoming less effective in humans. This was due to their use in farming.
President of Stanford University
After leaving the FDA in 1979, Kennedy returned to Stanford University. He first served as the provost, a senior academic officer. In 1980, he became the President of Stanford University. He held this important position until 1992.
As president, he helped Stanford grow in many ways. He opened new Stanford campuses in Kyoto, Japan, and Oxford, England. He also started new centers like the Institute for International Studies. Another focus was making undergraduate education better for students. In the mid-1980s, he led a huge effort to raise money for the university. They aimed for $1.1 billion and actually raised $1.2 billion. In 1990, he welcomed Mikhail Gorbachev, a world leader, to Stanford.
Under his leadership, Stanford's special fund (endowment) grew to $2 billion. This made it one of the largest in the United States. He also led Stanford to stop investing in companies connected to South Africa. This was during the time of apartheid, which was an unfair system of racial separation. He also changed the university's course requirements to include more non-Western cultures.
Kennedy resigned from his role in 1992. This happened after some questions were raised about how the university handled certain research expenses. The issue was resolved, and no wrongdoing was found by the university. After his presidency, Kennedy wrote a book about his experiences called A Place in the Sun: A Memoir.
Later Career
After stepping down as president, Donald Kennedy continued to work at Stanford. In 1997, he wrote a book called Academic Duty. In this book, he encouraged university professors to focus more on teaching. He also wanted them to connect their research with the public.
From 2000 to 2008, he was the editor-in-chief of Science magazine. This is a very important weekly science publication. In 2010, he received the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. This award is given to people who explain science to the public in an easy-to-understand way.
Kennedy was a member of several important academic groups. These included the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research interests included big environmental problems. These included changes in land use, farming practices, and global climate change. He also studied alternative energy sources.
Personal Life and Death
Donald Kennedy was married twice. His first marriage, to Jeanne Dewey, ended in divorce. In 1987, he married Robin Hamill. He had two children from his first marriage and two stepchildren with Robin.
In 2015, Kennedy had a stroke. He moved to a care home in Redwood City, California in 2018. He passed away there on April 21, 2020, at the age of 88. His death was due to COVID-19.
See also
In Spanish: Donald Kennedy para niños
