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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:
Ms. Patricia Kennedy Graham

John B. Kennedy dedicated his whole life to aviation safety. He started his aviation career by serving as a member of the United States Air Force during World War II and Korea where he maintained military aircraft for the Strategic Air Command in various parts of the world.

After graduating from Boston University with a degree in engineering, John joined the Civil Aeronautics Board and later the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, D.C. as an aeronautic accident investigator. During his tenure with the NTSB, John worked tirelessly with his fellow NTSB investigators to find the causes for major aircraft accidents and made recommendations to correct those problems so that air travel would be safer for all the passengers and crews when they took to the sky.

After retiring from the NTSB, John continued to work for aviation safety as a consultant in private industry. He was called upon to be an expert witness by many law firms handling aircraft accident claims and taught aviation safety and aircraft reconstruction at several colleges and universities. Even after his retirement, his fellow NTSB co-workers continued to call upon him for his advice during difficult aircraft reconstruction activities and puzzling accident investigations.

During his career, John received many awards and citations from the U.S. government, as well as private industry, for his dedication and expertise. Not one to boast of his successes, his real satisfaction was that over the years he worked in the aviation safety field, there were many lives saved due to the measures taken to make airline travel safer for the passengers and crews. He definitely contributed to that success by his dedication and drive.

John B. Kennedy left his family and his co-workers a great legacy with his determination to make aviation safer by providing them a role model by his dedication, loyalty, and pride in a job well done.