John Plimpton Kendall Papers

John P. Kendall was born in Boston, MA in 1928 and grew up on Moose Hill Farm in Sharon, MA. He graduated from Amherst College in 1951 and earned an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School in 1953. From 1953 to 1955 he served as an officer in the U.S. Marines, during which time he took part in a major caving expedition in Kentucky. He remained an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1964. Kendall married Nancy Nichols Feick in 1955. They had three adopted children: Andrew W. Kendall, David F. Kendall (now deceased), and Sarah Kendall Mitchell. Kendall's career was primarily spent as an executive in the Kendall Company, beginning in Chicago and England and then at its headquarters in Walpole, MA, until the company’s merger with Colgate Palmolive in 1972. An active alumnus of Amherst College, he served on various committees and was awarded an honorary degree in 1976. Kendall was also an influential trustee and advisor to the newly-formed Hampshire College in the 1970s and 1980s. Kendall and his brother Henry founded the Henry P. Kendall Foundation in 1967, and he has played an ongoing role as a trustee in its philanthropic work. He and his brother also owned Spice Island Traders, which operated marine research vessels including the Abel-J, in whose design and management he was actively involved. His pursuits have included yachting, bicycling, climbing and antique cars.