In Memoriam: James J. Kenneally

Professor Emeritus of History James J. Kenneally, whose decades of service to Stonehill College profoundly impacted the institution, passed away on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. He was 96. He is survived by his sons David and Stephen ’77 Kenneally and daughter Ann (Kenneally) Puccetti ’80. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Louise Kenneally, who served as Stonehill’s archivist for many years.

“Jim’s passing is a great loss to our community. He and Louise were faithful builders of the College who helped shape Stonehill’s tradition of light and hope, which will inspire and guide generations to come,” said Rev. John Denning, C.S.C., president of Stonehill College.

Born in South Boston, Kenneally earned a B.S. and Ph.D. from Boston College and an M.Ed. from Tufts University. He served in the Air National Guard, rising in rank from private to full colonel over a three-decade career. He was called to active duty twice, first as a lieutenant when his unit was sent to Korea during the Korean War, and again as a captain when he was deployed to Germany during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 to 1962. 

Kenneally began teaching at Stonehill in 1958. Active in campus life, he was instrumental in preserving the papers of Joseph W. Martin of the U.S. House of Representatives, which helped pave the way for the creation of the Martin Institute for Law and Society in 1990. Kenneally served as the director of the Institute from then until his retirement in 1995. 

In addition to overseeing the daily operations of the Martin Institute, he also increased the scope of the College’s collections documenting the history of Stonehill and Southeastern Massachusetts. A prolific writer, he published many reviews and articles, and authored several books, including A Compassionate Conservative: A Political Biography of Joseph W. Martin Jr., Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative.

In January 1992, Kenneally hosted a public forum at the Martin Institute focused on the Holocaust. From this session, the College’s Catholic-Jewish Dialogue Committee was born. In its early years, Kenneally chaired the committee, providing his unique vision to help strengthen interfaith relations in the local community.

In 2002, the Committee honored the historian by naming the James J. Kenneally Lecture on Jewish-Catholic Relations after him. This annual program has recently attracted scholars such as David G. Marwell, former chief of investigative research for the Department of Justice, and Suzanne Brown-Fleming of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“A beloved member of the Stonehill community, Jim Kenneally will be deeply missed,” said Rev. Kevin Spicer, C.S.C., dean of the May School of Arts & Sciences and the College’s James J. Kenneally Distinguished Professor of History. “His dedication to preserving Stonehill’s vibrant story and fostering a more compassionate world will remain his timeless contribution to this campus.” 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 11 a.m., at the Chapel of Mary, located at Stonehill College. Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., prior to the funeral mass. Interment with military honors will be in the Massachusetts National Cemetery at 1:45 p.m.