ELECT
JACK
KENNEDY
District Court Judge
Third Judicial District
Department 1
EXPERIENCE
INTEGRITY
COMPASSION
COMMITMENT
Photo by Rick Norton Photography
BIOGRAPHY of JACK KENNEDY
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Jack
Kennedy was born in Queens, New York, the fourth child of Gene and Virginia
Kennedy. At the age of three, Jack, his brother Gene, and sisters
Eileen and Gini moved with their parents to Redding, California, where Jack
lived until college.
An accomplished athlete and student, Jack attended Shasta High School, where he lettered in football (4 years) and track (3 years).
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Jack
was also very active in student government. A natural leader, Jack was
elected Class President his freshman, sophomore and junior years. His
senior year, Jack was elected Student Body President as a write-in candidate:
a first in his school's history.
As early as the 8th grade, Jack knew in his heart that he wanted to be a lawyer. It was his hard work, determination and persistence that enabled him to accomplish his life's goal. Having grown up in a working-class neighborhood where families like his struggled to make ends meet, Jack had to work his way through college. While attending graduate school and law school, he was raising a family in addition to working a full-time job.
In 1975, while finishing his final semester at McGeorge School of Law, Jack interviewed for the administrative, director-level position with the Washoe County School District that brought him to Nevada.
Two years into his tenure with the District, Jack began his private law practice. Ten years later, he "retired" from the Washoe County School District in order to devote all of his time to the practice of law.
As the years passed, Jack's practice grew larger, eventually employing five attorneys and a large support staff. Along with the firm's growth came the growing time commitment of personnel management and case management. When the business of law left too little time for client interaction and the active practice of law, Jack made a conscious decision to allow the firm to grow smaller. This enabled Jack to once again devote the majority of his time to his clients and his passion: the law.
Many have asked Jack, "Why live in Fernley?" The truth is there was a time when Jack might have asked the same question. Back in 2005, when a former client from Fernley told Jack he was anticipating a move out of state, he asked if Jack would be interested in buying his house. As a courtesy, Jack told him, "I'll take a look at it, but I'm not interested in moving to Fernley." So, Jack looked at the house. He took a few pictures. He thought the price was pretty good, and he told the man he would talk to his wife, and that they might consider it for an investment. His wife, Kathy, looked at the pictures, and agreed that it might be a good investment: they could fix it up a little, and maybe make a little money on the resale - it would be a fun project to do together. So, they bought the house.
The first weekend they spent at the house, they painted. The neighbor to their left came over. He introduced himself as Bob. Bob worked for the U.S. Postal Service. A little while later, the neighbor to their right came over. His name was Bill. Bill worked in the construction trades. By the end of the weekend, the kitchen and family room were painted, and they had met most of their neighbors.
The Kennedys would travel to Fallon for renovation supplies and while there, enjoy lunch at some of the local restaurants. The waitresses were always so friendly, and their fellow diners would often say "hello" to them.
As the weeks passed, and the work on the house progressed, the neighbors waved in recognition as the Kennedys drove up to the house. Some dropped by just to say, "Hi." After a few months, the Kennedys were spending all of their free time at the Fernley house, even when there was no work to be done. Fernley felt more like home than home. So, in 2006, the Kennedys put their house in Reno up for sale and made Fernley their official residence.
Earlier that year, Jack and Kathy joined the newly forming Rotary Club of Fernley, becoming Charter members, and serving on its Board. Active in club projects and fundraising events, the Kennedys commit much of their personal time to community service through Rotary.
"Why live in Fernley?" That's an easy question for Jack. It's home.
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TOP TEN REASONS
TO ELECT JACK
