Every summer, members of the University Advancement team with green thumbs bring the fruits of their labor into the common lunchroom to share with colleagues, and without fail, every harvest will have something delectable from Planned Giving Specialist Elizabeth Kennedy. She has brought in zucchini bigger than the coffee carafe, greens, beans, tomatillos, and heirloom tomatoes bigger, more flavorful, and juicier than anything you could find in a market or store. Her patience and careful attention to detail have benefitted more than just her colleagues and constituents’ bellies—they have helped countless families unfold their ultimate impacts to help others at Gonzaga.
When Elizabeth was born, her father was serving in the army as a military police officer in Vietnam. When he returned, he continued to serve in the Coast Guard, taking little Elizabeth and her brother with him to work some days and allowing them to watch reel after reel of the old Looney Tunes cartoons on the old projector that clicked and clacked as it went around.
“Spending this special time with my dad and brother, laughing till our stomachs hurt, brings back some fond memories,” she said with a smile.
Elizabeth’s schooling took place in Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho. She loved spending time visiting her grandparents in Oregon, where she hunted for arrowheads, explored the outdoors, and learned to fish. Fishing was a skill that came in handy at another time when she “reeled in” the man who would eventually become her husband. She was working her way through the recreation management program at Eastern Washington University making submarine sandwiches to pay tuition, when one day, a coworker pointed out a young man who had become a regular customer and kept his eyes on Elizabeth. Once she became aware of his interest, Elizabeth recalls making the first move.
“I walked over to his table and asked if he wanted to go fishing,” she chuckled. “He said, ‘yeah,’ and I showed up at Chapman Lake with all my fishing gear. I’m not sure what Bruce was thinking, because all he brought was a boombox. He was quick to point out that someone has to man the oars,” as the rental boats did not come equipped with a motor. “Nice save,” she said.
Elizabeth has always been a keenly observant and patient person, which paid off as she let Bruce share with her his Lenny Kravitz recordings, and later, in her work with the Postal Service.
“I loved that job,” she said of her role contracting with the Post Office. “Working in the Consumer Affairs Office, I often felt like a Postal Inspector, hearing all the complaints and then trying to piece together exactly what happened. It was hard at first, but I eventually realized my skill at listening and observing—I found that even with the most irate customers, if I just allowed them the time to talk it out, offered an observant ear followed by a promise of investigation and follow through, I could almost always turn the conversation around to say, ‘okay, let’s see what we can actually do about this,’ and at that point they were more willing to be part of the solution.”
From there, Elizabeth made her way to the front desk as office manager of the Spokane Mayor’s Office. Her patience proved useful yet again, as she dealt with everything from customer complaints to news media and all sorts of people in between including one gentleman who had tried to make up for throwing a fit at her the day before by pulling up and presenting Elizabeth with piles of flowers from the beds of Riverfront Park as an apology.
“They all still had root balls attached to them,” Elizabeth laughed, “so I called park management and told them if they hurried, they might be able to get them back in the ground.”
After six years in City Hall, she was ready for a change. The planned giving assistant position at Gonzaga had been posted, and despite not fully understanding what she would be in for, Elizabeth applied and interviewed. She instantly found a kindred spirit in one of her interviewers, who would become her longtime colleague and friend, Annette Davis. Since she was hired, Elizabeth and Annette have worked closely, helping individuals and families navigate the world of estate planning as it overlaps with giving to Gonzaga. Elizabeth admits the people are her favorite part of her work, but also the diversity of tasks she gets to have.
“No two days are alike,” she said, “and I genuinely love that.”
At home, Elizabeth and Bruce still enjoy the outdoors, and carrying on the legacy of farming and a “do-it-yourself” mentality shared with them by an elderly neighbor early in their marriage. They have raised chickens, turkeys, hogs, a peacock, dogs and cats, and countless kinds of vegetables. She always preferred the vegetables (like the monster tomato below) for eating and the animals as friends.
Gonzaga is lucky to count Elizabeth amongst its friends and family and is grateful for all she does in service of others in Advancement—it’s all appreciated and delicious!
