Longtime Africa U. supporter Kennedy dies

Jonas T. Kennedy, who with his wife provided the first major gift to start Africa University, died March 14 in Bennettsville, S.C. He was 97 years old.

The Kennedys were “the foundation of Africa University,” said Associate Vice Chancellor Jim Salley. Their gift sparked others to give.

“That gift came when a lot of people said Africa University would never happen, and there were many naysayers who were asking why would we want to put that kind of money into Africa,” Salley said. “Mr. Kennedy was a man of action and not many words. He was the most generous person I have known.”

Kennedy was born Feb. 12, 1917, in Bennettsville. He entered United Methodist-related Claflin University, Orangeburg, S.C., in 1933. He transferred to neighboring South Carolina State College to earn a degree in agriculture, graduating in 1937.

“An education in an environment where moral values are nurtured along with intellectual growth is to be highly prized in today’s world,” he once said. “I believe that there is an obligation to make the world a better place for all people to live in. Each must find his or her way to meet this calling.”

Kennedy began his career in education at Black High School in McBee, S.C., where he served as teaching principal, raising chickens and turkeys on the side. He taught agriculture in Clio and Spartanburg and was a soil conservationist in Greenville.

In 1939, Kennedy took over the family farm full time and produced essential crops throughout World War II. He mastered turkey farming and was recognized internationally as an expert in turkey production, serving as a farming consultant to several Africa countries and traveling extensively to observe farming techniques on every continent except Australia.

Kennedy was a member of Bennettsville’s Level Green United Methodist Church. In 1991, the Kennedys began contributing to Africa University. Africa University named buildings after him and his wife, the late Odette Miller Kennedy.

He shared his love for education with his daughter, Deidre K. Hepburn, a schoolteacher.

She described her father as “a man of principles and character and a man of few words. He said what he meant and meant what he said.”

Hepburn added, “He was a God-filled man. If he could help someone along life’s way, he knew his life was not in vain.”

When Africa University celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2012, Kennedy said, “I am very proud” of where the university is today. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for people. It helps not only Zimbabwe, but (also) all of Africa.”

The couple’s commitment to the university was so strong that, when Kennedy asked what his wife wanted for her 74th birthday, she said she wanted a female dormitory built for students. Kennedy happily complied.

Seventy-five graduates and 10 current students attended or are attending Africa University through endowed scholarships established by the Kennedys, according to Salley.

Kennedy didn’t want his donation amounts disclosed, Salley added.

Along with being a generous benefactor to Africa University, Kennedy supported his alma mater. “Giving was a way of life for Dr. Kennedy,” said the Rev. Whittaker V. Middleton, vice president for Institutional Advancement at United Methodist-related Claflin.

Funeral services for Kennedy will be Wednesday, March 19, at 3 p.m. ET at Level Green United Methodist Church. A wake service is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET at Quick Funeral Home, Bennettsville.

Other survivors include a son-in-law, John Hepburn, and a grandson, Alexander Kennedy-Wall.

*Dunlap-Berg is associate editor of Interpreter and Interpreter OnLine.


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Birgitte French (second from right) of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference addresses a class at the Mama Lynn Center in Kindu, Congo. The center provides training to vulnerable women and girls. During a visit with other members of a United Methodist delegation from the U.S. in September, French expressed her joy at strengthening the conference’s partnership with eastern Congo. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Center provides hope for women in Congo

The Mama Lynn Center, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, provides training and spiritual support to women who have suffered sexual violence, helping them regain their dignity and become economically independent.
Central Conferences
Tafadzwa Chingosho works in his fields in Hanwa, Zimbabwe, to keep the crops free from weeds. Chingosho, who left school to pursue his dream of being a farmer, gained skills through United Methodist programs including Zimbabwe Volunteers in Mission and the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Church programs help young farmer pursue dream

Despite struggling academically, 18-year-old Tafadzwa Chingosho is finding success in pepper farming after being trained by The United Methodist Church.
Disaster Relief
Community representative Janvier Murhula (left) thanks The United Methodist Church during the distribution of food supplies in Bukavu, Congo. The United Methodist Committee on Relief provided a solidarity grant that supported 100 households in the city. At right is the Rev. Esther Furaha Kachiko, Bukavu District superintendent. Photo by Philippe Kituka Lolonga, UM News.

United Methodists provide vital aid in Congo

The United Methodist Church, with grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is providing food and social support in war-torn eastern Congo.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2025 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved