Kennedy Tower opens with dedication ceremony

The first step in the recreation of the Duke athletic campus is complete, and fittingly, it bears the name of the family who helped to build the Blue Devil athletic program.

Saturday marked the official opening of Kennedy Tower, which is named for Deputy Director of Athletics Chris Kennedy and his late wife, Ana. The four-story tower will serve both Koskinen Stadium and the new Williams Track & Field complex, which was also recently completed.

"It's pretty thrilling to think that the first completed part of this rework, refreshment of the entire athletic campus is the building that is behind us today," Duke University President Richard Brodhead said during the dedication ceremony. "It's going to be an enhancement for us. I have to say, for me the greatest joy of this building is that it will carry a name of a person who has meant so much to the creation of Duke athletics."

The Kennedys were instrumental in the development and growth of the University's athletic department. Chris Kennedy has been a part of the program since 1977, working at the time as the lone member of the department's academic support staff. He mentored multiple student-athletes, for which Kennedy has been presented five times with a special citation from the CFA for his excellence in academic advising. Kennedy earned his Ph.D. from Duke in 1979 and still serves as an adjunct assistant professor of English.

After 20 years of working for the program, Kennedy was named the senior associate director of athletics in 1997 and in the summer of 2008—before the University hired current Director of Athletics Kevin White—served as interim Director of Athletics.

Ana Kennedy served as assistant director of the University's pre-major center before accepting a position at N.C. State, where she taught Spanish and literature at N.C. State for nearly 20 years. She passed away in February 2013.

The Kennedys have two children who are also Blue Devils. Their son, Joe, graduated in 2005 and was a former captain of the men’s lacrosse team, and their daughter, Marion, graduated in 2009.

in an emotional speech before a large crowd gathered in the bleachers at Koskinen Stadium, Chris Kennedy thanked the Duke staff and board members before taking a moment to explain why the University is special to his family.

"Ana and I came to Duke in our early twenties. Our lives have been intertwined in this place," Kennedy said. "We met in the Old Union, in the University Room—which is a cafeteria that doesn't exist anymore. We were married in the Divinity School in the York Chapel—which doesn't exist anymore—come to think of it by a priest who isn't a priest anymore.... Our children were born in Duke Hosptial. Joe played on this field for the men's lacrosse team and a year ago tomorrow, Marion and Bryan [Amos] were married at the Chapel."

The Kennedys owned a house off of East Campus and would often invite athletes—including former men's soccer standout and now head coach John Kerr—over for dinner and provide academic support and guidance. Former Blue Devil point guard and current Harvard basketball coach Tommy Amaker was another student-athlete who came to the couple for advice and support.

"Flowing around these landmark events, sort of like a river, was the day-to-day life of this university, for which we were immersed for 40 years," Kennedy said. "So I am humbled, proud, I'm incredibly honored, but most of all there's this—although Ana will never be gone from me, I don't have the words to express how much it means for her to be remembered in this way, so permanently and so publicly on the campus of the university that she loved."

All five teams that compete at the adjacent complexes served by the tower—men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer and track and field—were on-hand for the unveiling of the completed tower and track, along with alumni, parents and Duke staff members.

Kerr and White accompanied Brodhead and Kennedy as the four guest speakers at Saturday's ceremony.

Following the official ceremony, tours of the building were given, which includes state-of-the-art amenities. The tower was designed by CHA Sports and constructed by Romeo Guest and Associates and features a camera deck, press facilities facing both competition venues as well as a hospitality suite.

Kennedy Tower will host its first game Jan. 31, when the women's lacrosse team hosts Towson for a season-opening scrimmage.