I knew Bill Kennedy long before I actually met him. Shortly after we started doing wine reviews in the magazine, I wrote an article about roses, and included one that cost $15. I got an email from Bill after the article ran asking me why I had recommended such an expensive wine. There were dozens and dozens of excellent roses, he wrote, that cost $10 — and even $5 and $6.
Bill was my kind of guy.
Bill, who lived in Lake Highlands, died this week at the age of 55 from pancreatic cancer. One of the reasons the Advocate works is because we have readers who not only understand what we’re trying to do, but who appreciate it. How many media organizations can say that these days? Bill was just that kind of reader — passionate, concerned, and involved, and not just about the neighborhood, but about the city and everything he loved, like food and wine.
When we started the Lake Highlands blog four years ago, one of the first people we contacted was Bill. What does it need to be like? What do we need write about? He offered his well-considered thoughts, and eventually became one of our regular volunteer bloggers. He offered a fresh, interesting non-media take on things, and his writing during the runup to the Trinity campaign was fun to read. More importantly, he cared about the community, something that showed in all of his posts.
Bill stopped blogging for us when he was diagnosed with cancer, but we still heard from him. Why did you write this? Why didn’t you write about this? And, frankly, I’m going to miss getting those emails. (The photo is courtesy of my pal Alfonso Cevola, Bill’s neighbor and fellow food and wine type.)
A memorial service will be held for Bill at 2 p.m. Friday at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral home. In Bill’s memory, donations can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000 , El Segundo, Calif. 90245.
