Image by Henry Marte Daniel P. Kennedy's daughters Grace, second from left, and Laura, third from left, hold framed copies of their late father's posthumous degree alongside, from left, adjunct faculty member Nancy Johnson, College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Sue Kim, Provost Lynne Cossman and Chancellor Julie Chen following the special ceremony in Gloucester.
Earning a bachelor’s degree had been a lifelong dream for Daniel P. Kennedy ’26. After retiring from the Gloucester Fire Department, he returned to college at UMass Lowell, learned to navigate unfamiliar technology and settled into classrooms filled with students decades younger than him.
On Oct. 30, his daughters, Laura and Grace, accepted the psychology degree he had worked so hard to earn during a special posthumous Commencement ceremony in Gloucester.
Kennedy died Feb. 11 at age 60 after being struck by a Lowell police cruiser while leaving class on South Campus. Born in Lowell, Kennedy was a Marine Corps veteran and longtime Gloucester firefighter who retired in 2023 after 28 years with the department.
For Kennedy’s daughters, the ceremony marked the fulfillment of a dream their father had carried for years.
“It makes me very happy, because this was something that he had wanted to do his whole life,” Grace said.
“He came from pretty humble beginnings,” Laura added. “It took him a while to get there, but it was a dream of his to go back to college.”
Image by Henry Marte A portrait of Daniel P. Kennedy '26 sits alongside framed copies of his posthumous psychology degree during the special Commencement ceremony in Gloucester.
Held in Cruiseport Gloucester’s Grand Ballroom, a procession of 14 university administrators and faculty members, dressed in Commencement regalia and led by Chancellor Julie Chen, entered the room to “Pomp and Circumstance.”
Behind the podium stood the banners of UMass Lowell and the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Floral arrangements flanked the podium, while a portrait of Kennedy in his Gloucester Fire Department lieutenant’s uniform stood on an easel between the American and Massachusetts flags. Outside the ballroom’s windows, Gloucester Harbor glimmered on the warm fall day as bagpipe players performed “Amazing Grace.”
Provost Lynne Cossman welcomed the guests and declared the special ceremony open. Dean Sue Kim presented Kennedy as a candidate for the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology on behalf of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Chen formally conferred the degree.
Image by Henry Marte Sisters Grace, left, and Laura Kennedy speak about their late father, Daniel P. Kennedy '26, during the Commencement ceremony.
Kennedy became Gloucester’s first fire lieutenant in 2014. After retiring, he returned to school with the goal of using a psychology degree to help veterans facing mental health challenges.
“In this sense, Dan Kennedy represented everything good there is about being a River Hawk,” Chen said.
After returning from the military, Kennedy earned an associate degree from Middlesex Community College.
“He had an insatiable hunger for knowledge that he nourished with creativity and a constant desire to know more about the world around him,” Grace said.
Kennedy’s decision to enroll at UMass Lowell for a bachelor’s degree did not surprise his daughters. He had helped put both of them through private school and college before deciding it was time to pursue his own degree.
Image by Henry Marte Chancellor Julie Chen and the Commencement platform party observe the national anthem during the ceremony.
“He was not scared at all,” Laura said. “My sister and I were like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to be prepared, because it’s very technical now.’ But he figured it out.”
Although he was older than most of his classmates, Kennedy quickly became part of the UMass Lowell community. His daughters said he spoke warmly about the students and professors he met.
“He had nice things to say about everybody,” Grace said. “Everybody was so kind to him.”
Nancy Johnson, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, taught Kennedy in two courses, German and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. She remembered him as an attentive and caring student.
Image by Henry Marte About 50 family members, friends and members of the Gloucester Fire Department attended the Commencement ceremony for Daniel P. Kennedy '26 at Cruiseport Gloucester's Grand Ballroom.
“That’s just the kind of person he was,” Johnson said. “He cared, and he thought, ‘What can I do?’ He was a really good person.”
Holding back tears alongside Laura during the ceremony, Grace said her father’s degree represented more than an academic accomplishment.
“Our dad’s legacy is that of perseverance and the importance of a life spent in the pursuit of knowledge,” she said. “Congratulations, Daddy. We love you, and we’re proud of you.”