MADERA - The Madera Unified School District Board of Trustee’s appointed former Madera County Supervisor J. Gordon Kennedy to fill the Board vacancy created by the resignation of Trustee Ricardo Arredondo Tuesday evening. Trustee Arredondo’s resignation was filed with the Madera County Superintendent of Schools on August 2, 2019, and was effective on that date.
Mr. Kennedy will hold office until the next regularly scheduled election for District board members, which will occur on November 3, 2020. The newly appointed trustee said he would only serve in the interim and would most likely not run for office in 2020.
Gordon Kennedy is a past president of the Madera Sunrise Rotary and also served two years as a District Governor. He has served multiple terms as Master of the Madera Masonic Lodge. He served two four-year terms on the Madera County Board of Supervisors as well as serving on the California Air Resources Board. In 2018 he was selected for the Madera Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also served on the board of directors of the Chamber.
Gordon was born in Ponca, Oklahoma. The Kennedy family farmed and raised cattle before moving to Kern County when he was still in high school. Kennedy attended Cal Poly University, earning a Bachelors of Science degree in Animal Husbandry. His senior year at college he took on a second major, Farm Management, and earned a second BS degree in that subject in 1958.
He moved to Madera in 1964 to serve as branch manager for the Fresno Madera Production Credit Association, a position he held for 10 years. In 1974, decided to pursue farming full-time with a 40-acre vineyard he purchased a few years before and addition acreage he leased. He retired from farming in 1992.
“I feel that I can offer experience and fairly represent all segments of the community. I believe Madera Unified School District strength is a good force of teachers to promote and encourage excellence in education for all students,” said Kennedy. He and his wife Carol have been married for 33 years. They have four children, all of whom are products of the Madera Unified School District, and seven grandchildren.
Unless a petition calling for a special election and containing a sufficient number of signatures is filed in accordance with Education Code section 5091 with the Madera County Superintendent of Schools within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment, it shall become an effective appointment.
