Tribute to Dr. Marian Kennedy

Abu Dhabi, July 20, 2008 (WAM) - Dr. Marian Kennedy, who together with her husband, Dr. Pat Kennedy, opened the Oasis Hospital in Al-Ain in the early 1960s, has passed away.

According to her daughter, Nancy Kennedy, "Kennedy
died peacefully" back home in Carmichael, California, on Thursday, July 17 at the age of 84. The deceased is survived by four children.

Dr. Marian was one of the recipients of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Awards, presented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Kennedys' life and work in Abu Dhabi were easily the highlight of their lives, and all four of their children also have very warm memories of their years growing up in Al Ain. "My parents loved the desert and the people they grew to know in Al Ain, and were loved in return," said her daughter, Nancy Kennedy, in a tribute to her late mother.

Born in Orland, California to Ernest and Margaret Chace, Dr. Marian (Miriam) Kennedy, a mother of four with a great sense of adventure, love for God and commitment to medical mission work, graduated from Orland High School in 1941, then UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Biochemistry 1945 and an M.A. in Physiology in 1946. Her love of science, enthusiasm for learning, and passionate commitment to community service combined to motivate her to attend medical school in Philadelphia, where she met and married a fellow medical student, Pat Kennedy.

Their work took them to Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan before they settled in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi (then part of the Trucial States of Oman) and established the first hospital in Al Ain. Their efforts at the Oasis Hospital significantly contributed to the reduction of mortality rates, particularly among infants, and raised the birth rates.

At least 4,000 babies were born while the Kennedys worked at the Oasis Hospital. In 1975 Drs. Marian and Pat moved to a private practice in Ripon, California.

Upon retirement they settled in Garden Valley, California. In 2005, Marian received one of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Awards, presented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was born at the Oasis Hospital.

To condole the family of Dr. Kennedy, please contact: Nancy Kennedy, Tel: +1 - 206 633 1871 Memorial service will be held at 2: 00 pm Tuesday, July 22 at Fremont Presbyterian Church, 5770 Carlson, Dr., Sacramento, California, Tel: +1 530 676 1527.