Margaret C. Kenney

Honoree:
Margaret C. Kenney

Submitted By:
Myra Dietz

Margaret was born in Rochester New York, the only child of Catherine Slattery and Thomas Kenney. Margaret’s family consisted of her parents, her father’s sister Anna and her cousin John Egan. By the 1940s, Margaret is a teacher supporting parents and widowed aunt with assistance from John.

Margaret teaches at the neighborhood public elementary school and ultimately becomes its principal. It is there that Margaret C. Kenney became a part of my life.

Miss. Kenney was a warm, compassionate schoolmarm. Tall and elegant, she always seemed to be just perfect! Margaret was the first principal to make an impression on me as a student. I have no lasting memory of the principal of the school where I attended kindergarten and the principal where I attended grades one and two made me shake with fear whenever he came near. When my family moved to a new neighborhood and I had to go to a new school, I was a little fearful of new students and new teachers. However, I still remember the warm wonderful smile and the hug from Miss Kenny on my first day at George Mather Forbes School #4 on Bronson Avenue in Rochester, New York. Miss Kenney escorted my brother and me to our new classrooms; first my brother to his 1st grade room then me to my 3rd Grade room. Little did I know that day, that Miss Kenney would be a part of my life long after elementary school.

Margaret was the kind of educator that cared deeply about all of her children and saw to all of their needs. School dismissed each day at 11:45 for lunch. We all walked home, had lunch and returned to school at 1:00. Miss Kenney made sandwiches and provided milk and cookies for the children who didn’t get any lunch at home. Sometimes, on the way back from lunch, I would have to stop at the corner store to get cookies. Miss Kenney carefully wrapped in waxed paper two cookies for each child who had lunch with her that day. These treats were saved for afternoon snack time. That is what I remember most about Margaret Keeney, the principal.

My first summer job was as a teen worker at a HeadStart summer school program. We worked with preschool children to prepare them for kindergarten. The program was housed in the local catholic school and was staff with recent graduates from education programs and area teachers colleges. Margaret Kenney was one of the assistants to the director of the local HeadStart Program. I was going into the 9th grade that September and hadn’t seen Miss Kenney in about two years. My connection was renewed with Miss Kenney, the boss.

As a freshman at Nazareth College of Rochester, I was assigned an advisor, whose job was to help me make the transition to college and to have a successful first year. That advisor was Margaret Kenney. This time Margaret would shepherd me through my freshman year of college and help me to find a life career.

After freshman year, I would see Miss Kenney from time to time on campus, we would chat and Margaret would always have some encouragement to offer. During my sophomore year at Nazareth, I took a job as choir director at a local Catholic church and once again, Margaret and I crossed paths. Margaret was friends with some of the nuns in the convent and would visit the parish on occasion. Our relationship continued as friends. Margaret watched my graduate from college, attended my wedding and followed my career as a beginning educator.

Years later, while researching my husband’s family history, I stumbled onto an old photograph of a very young Margaret Kenney and other young people at an event celebrating the establishment of a Catholic church. The church was the family church of my husband’s grandmother; Margaret not only knew the family, but socialized with them as well. Margaret seemed to have been destined to be a part of my life in many ways.