By Valarie Schwartz
Rarely does a day pass in our community without police officers answering a domestic violence call. It happens in all neighborhoods to all kinds of people. Since 2001, the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County (FVPC) has sought ways to prevent and end family violence by providing a 24-hour hotline, counseling, emotional support and far more.
In December, the agency acquired a new resource with the hiring of Beverly Kennedy as executive director. It’s hard to imagine someone better prepared for the work involved.
Not that she planned it that way — the Pittsburgh native attended Pennsylvania State University with the dream of being a magazine food editor. She left with a degree in journalism, having minored in home economics, and got a job at Wonder Bread in Boston. Her plan continued humming along until two co-workers were murdered and she felt drawn to law enforcement. The fact that women were not yet allowed to serve Boston as police officers proved no deterrent, it simply meant some extra steps.
“There was no gender equality yet — I was refused based on the fact that I was female,†Kennedy said. So she filed a complaint and spent two years lobbying for women to be accepted. Poring over the city budget, she discovered that money had been allocated for female officers and found an ally in a city board member who insisted that the means meet the appropriate end.
Kennedy was in the first class of females, in 1972, one of 11 hired to a force of 2,500. She was a patrol officer for nine years; her favorite two were with the mounted unit. She spent evenings attending law school and passed the bar in 1977. After obtaining her detective rating, she became the assistant legal council to the Boston police commissioner.
“I just happened to be there, it was never planned,†Kennedy said of her career. “I lived through school busing — it was humanity gone mad.â€
With more to accomplish, she practiced as a criminal defense attorney for 16 years before fragments from the broken society she served began to present a clear picture.
“I woke up one morning and said, ‘I can’t do this any more. Victims are underrepresented.’ I realized I was further victimizing the victims,†Kennedy said.
After two more years spent removing herself from it, she served five years as director of a suburban Boston battered women’s program.
“I loved the work; it was great work,†she said. “It was a young agency that was underfunded and understaffed.â€
But it gave her full perspective on family violence. As a police officer, “we used to call it family trouble and we’d say, ‘why don’t you just leave him?’ Oh my God, it’s so embarrassing, but we didn’t know. We were slowly educated,†she said.
The governor’s office took notice of her work and called, asking her to interview for her next job with the Massachusetts Governor’s Commission Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, where she served for two years.
“The universe kept throwing me through a door,†Kennedy said, laughing. The next door gave her a chance to realize a life-long dream she had shared with her sister.
“We opened a tea room,†she said, and suddenly the fine English porcelain tea set on the mantle of the gas fireplace in her office made even more sense. Kennedy and her husband, David, a retired Boston police detective, moved to northern Connecticut and renovated an old schoolhouse into Simple Elegance, which seated 40 people.
“My sister is a chef and had owned a catering company in Delaware, so she brought those skills,†Kennedy said.
After three years of tea parties, Kennedy became a consultant for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, still floating the promise she had made to David of moving to North Carolina when she retired.
“In November, a colleague called and asked, ‘Aren’t you interested in moving to North Carolina? There’s a website listing . . . .’ And here I am!â€
Within a month, they closed up their house, moved into an apartment in The Villages in Carrboro, and she started her job on Dec. 12.
“It’s so nice! We don’t have to shovel snow or see the oil truck coming up the driveway,†Kennedy said. David has been removed from the (deep) cold and she’s still got her work.
From her first day, the FVPC agency staff and board have breathed sighs of relief, knowing that the silver lining to hold all the elements of its work together has at last arrived.
“We’ve really found a leader,†said Caroline Wells Pence, chair of the FVPC board. “She’s a seasoned domestic violence advocate — she gets it. She’s a tremendous gift to the staff. She really goes to bat for them. First and foremost, their job is to work with the clients and meet their needs and then have the time to replenish. She’s not going to over-commit their time to anyone. And she’s so articulate, with the ability to talk with the many different stakeholders and constituent groups.
“It feels like we have this opportunity to grow this agency and for FVPC to really thrive,†Pence said.
“I’m really invigorated coming back into victim’s services,†Kennedy said. “I’m working 12-plus hours a day and I’m not even tired. I’m just so happy to be here!â€
Our donations help them stay solid. To contribute or volunteer, visit fvpc.org or call 929-3872.