Ellen Kennedy, Arts Leader, Author and Translator, Passes

Author,
translator and community arts leader Ellen Conroy Kennedy, 87, died February
28, 2020, in Columbia, MD, where she lived with her husband, Padraic Kennedy

Surrounded by her family, Ms. Kennedy passed away peacefully, having celebrated a marriage of 66 years, produced a body of work that will endure for generations to come, founded a literary organization that has enlightened thousands of people of all ages, and earned the affection and respect of colleagues, friends and the community at large.

Born in New York City in 1932, Ms. Kennedy was the daughter of Philip Conroy and Helga Conroy Trudeau and sister of Frank Conroy and India Trudeau. Bookish from the beginning, she skipped a year of high school and attended Barnard College where she joined the Columbia Players Theater group and met Padraic (Pat) Kennedy, then a student at Columbia University. After graduation, Ms. Kennedy moved to Vienna, Austria, where Mr. Kennedy was stationed in the Army. They married in 1955 and moved in 1958 to Madison, WI, to attend graduate school. It was at the University of Wisconsin that Ms. Kennedy emerged as a dedicated scholar of French literature, particularly the works of Albert Camus.

Upon graduation, the Kennedys moved to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Kennedy began a career on the original staff of the Peace Corps, and Ms. Kennedy translated Camus’ “Lyrical and Critical Essays” (Knopf), which was nominated for the National Book Award in Translation in 1969, and subsequently “Youthful Writings” (Knopf). Influenced by the heady atmosphere of the Civil Rights and African Independence Movements, Ms. Kennedy next turned her attention to Francophone African and Caribbean Poets, publishing her landmark work, “The Negritude Poets” in 1975. During the years in Washington, DC, children Oliver and Erin were born, and friendships developed that remain in place today.

The next phase of the Kennedys’ life was launched in 1972, when Mr. Kennedy accepted a position as President of the Columbia Association, a non-profit organization that owns and manages the community assets of Columbia, MD. Ms. Kennedy, finding herself bereft of the cultural opportunities of a city, founded in 1974 the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo), which has been nationally recognized as a community-based arts organization that has brought hundreds of illustrious writers to Howard County. She served as President and CEO for 30 years, opening her home and sharing her table with a dazzling array of literary icons. She also developed and produced The Writing Life, a cable television series featuring conversations with the writers presented by HoCoPoLitSo. The Kennedys donated 1,500 of their books to Howard Community College. The Kennedy Collection is housed in a reading room in the college library.

Ellen Kennedy is survived by her husband Padraic Kennedy; son Oliver Kennedy and daughter-in-law Rachel Kennedy of Brookville, MD; daughter Erin Pelger and son-in-law Jim Pelger of Missoula, MT; five grandchildren, Will Kennedy, Sam Pelger, Jack Pelger, Dutch Pelger and Elsa Pelger; and sister India Trudeau.

A memorial service celebrating the life of Ellen Conroy Kennedy will be held Tuesday, April 7, at 11 a.m., at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia, MD, 21044. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society, www.hocopolitso.org; HoCoPoLitSo, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Horowitz Center 200, Columbia, MD, 21044.