Sidney Stiles Kennedy (1900-1987) received the state level Pugsley Medal in 1962, “for distinguished service and exceptional competence in furthering the objectives of state park conservation by providing cooperative assistance to the states in all aspects of their park and recreation programs. Perhaps more than any other individual, Kennedy has aided state park organizations and professionals to keep in touch as a group and abreast of state park technical advances.” Kennedy was born in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He attended Central Michigan University and received a BS degree from Michigan State University in 1923. In 1928, he graduated from Harvard University with a master of landscape architecture degree.
After his graduation, Kennedy was employed as an instructor at Central High School in Lansing, Michigan, for two years, and then hired by landscape architect firms in Boston, Massachusetts, and Ithaca, New York, for a period of four years, after which he entered state park work with the Finger Lakes State Park Commission at Ithaca, New York, serving successively as CCC camp inspector and assistant regional officer.In 1936, he was transferred to Washington, D.C. as a park planner and served with distinction in a wide variety of positions, which increased responsibility and effectiveness. These positions included being chief of the NPS’s branch of recreation studies, state cooperation branch, and the division of cooperative services. This work involved providing cooperative assistance to federal, state, and local agencies, including consultative and advisory assistance on all aspects of park and recreation area programs; reservoir surplus federal lands management; park practice programs and recommendations on planning and management; park properties requested by state and local agencies for park, recreation, and historic properties use.