Leonard Kennedy

Written by Tim Pickard

Twenty years ago, LEONARD KENNEDY retired as Professor of Education at California State University, Sacramento; yet today, this octogenarian could easily pass for a man several decades his junior. Perhaps it is because he is actively volunteering, in his case as a docent at the CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM in Old Sacramento since 1993 and more recently at SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. He enjoys these two activities primarily for the people contact involved, and the knowledge that he is making life more interesting for the people he meets.

When asked how he got involved with railroad history Leonard states that when he first retired he got tired of playing golf because it did not make him feel useful. He turned his attention to his grand daughter's interest in the history of Sutter's Fort. There he saw volunteers working with children and recognized their importance, and in 1993 he started volunteering with the railroad museum.

At the Railroad Museum Leonard and his fellow docents provide information to school groups and adults about the history of train transportation and what it was like in the heyday of train travel aboard the luxurious Zephyrs. You can catch him there all day most Tuesdays, usually in the dining car or upstairs with the Sefton Toy Train exhibit, or giving tours. Len also periodically travels with the AMTRAK Zephyr to Reno providing historical information to travelers from a prepared script that is piped throughout the passenger cars.

Within the last few years the Sacramento International Airport created its Airport Ambassador Program and sought volunteers to staff their two information booths, one at each terminal. Leonard responded to the call and does two 4-hour shifts a month. The volunteer ambassadors function as information givers and problem solvers for the many travelers who come through the airport. Most will tell you that they have heard every kind of traveling problem and have researched solutions for many a bewildered traveler. Just like volunteering for the railroad museum the airport provides an opportunity to interact with people in a helpful way and that is the bottom line as far as Leonard Kennedy is concerned.