Betty Kennedy writer, broadcast journalist, panelist, and Senator

While visiting the grave of Lester Pearson at beautiful McLaren Cemetery, in Wakefield, Quebec, I wandered around the grounds and found the grave of Canadian media legend and Senator, Betty Kennedy.

Her grave was tucked away near the forested area of the cemetery overlooking the Gatineau Hills.

Betty was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and started her career with the Ottawa Citizen as a journalist. She became a broadcaster, hosting a local radio show during a newspaper strike, and was clearly a natural, as CFRB in Toronto came calling in 1959,

where she became host of The Betty Kennedy Show. Her daily public affairs show remained on the air for an incredible 27 years. In the meantime, she wrote a book about the 1954 storm Hurricane Hazel, and another, Gerhard: A Love Story (1975), about her late first husband, Gerhard Kennedy, who is buried in the same cemetery plot.

For many Canadians, she will be remembered for being the lone female panelist on CBC’s Front Page Challenge for 33 years (1962–1995), alongside fellow panelists Gordon Sinclair and Pierre Berton, with Fred Davis as host.

Betty Kennedy’s achievements and contributions to Canada was recognized in June 2000 by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who appointed her to the Senate. It was a short-lived tenure, as she reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in January 2001. 

Senator Betty Margaret Hannah Kennedy, died in Toronto on March 20, 2017. She was 91.

1926-2017

 

See my related site and fellow CFRB and Front Page Challenge alumni, Gordon Sinclair. 

Gordon Sinclair CFRB and Front Page Challenge legend