Richard Kennedy 1939-2010

On April 3, Richard Newton Kennedy Jr. of Dunwoody died from complications of esophageal cancer and pneumonia at St. Joseph's Hospital. He was 71. A memorial service was held on Saturday, April 10.

The Savannah native brought his knowledgeable presentations to life with a little show and tell. He was an avid collector of antique firearms and memorabilia and used period pieces to make his talks real.

"He would bring a medical kit from the Civil War, pieces like that," said his son, Ben Kennedy of Cincinnati. "It was always cool to see certain things, and back then the kids would ooh and ah. The Civil War was his era of specialty, but he knew all history as far as world history. He was always patient with people and took the time to tell a story and educate people."

"It was really special when my father came to class," said his daughter, Laurie Kennedyof Lyons, Colo. "He knew a lot about the Civil War and its history, and his being there made me feel special."

Mr. Kennedy graduated from Savannah High and majored in history at the University of Georgia. After college, he married Vickie, his wife of 49 years, and moved to Atlanta.

Here, he opened The Gun Room Inc., which was located off West Paces Ferry Road, across from Sears. The gun shop was on the bottom floor of a two-story building. His daughter remembers taking dance lessons upstairs, then coming down to her father's shop.

"He's one of the few people who can say that his work was his passion," his daughter said, "and that his passion was his work."

Eventually, Mr. Kennedy relocated his business to Smyrna. When he retired in the mid-2000s, the competitive skeet and and trap shooter closed the shop. But his interest in history and antique firearms remained strong. Through the years, he conducted appraisals for private collectors and was a guest appraiser for several episodes of "Antiques Roadshow."

His interest in history and antique weaponry led him to join various associations, among them: the 78th Fraser Highlanders; the Gate City Guard; the Sons of Confederate Veterans' camps for Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Leonidas Polk; the National Rifle Association; the Ohio Gun Collectors Association; the Kentucky Rifle Association; and the American Society of Arms Collectors.

It's unclear how many period pieces the collector owned.

"We have to figure out where he had things on loan," his son said. "His collection has dwindled a a bit, but when I was in high school he probably had 15 or 20 different rifles and uniforms. He had a medical uniform from one of his uncles who had been a surgeon in World War I."

In addition to his wife and two children, survivors include two granddaughters.

Copy and photo from AJC.