Kenn Venit

An Award

The following is from Kenn's wife, Bonni via e-mail.

On Tuesday night, December 1, (1998) at the Downtown Harvard Club (38 floors above Boston, with a spectacular view!) Kenn was inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Boston/New England Chapter.

This lifetime achievement award was established for people "who have made significant contributions to television for 25 years or more."

He was honored for "service to television, the community and to people training for careers in television or related fields."

He was the youngest (53) of the five inductees, the oldest being 71. His close friend, Coleen Marren, vp/news for WFXT-TV, the FOX station in Boston, traced his careers and introduced a 2 1/2 minute videotape of highlights from his anchoring, reporting and hosting career.

His acceptance speech followed:


There is a beautiful, insightful and inspiring poem by Linda Ellis titled, "The Dash." I came across it on the Internet recently. It is about a graveside eulogy. A clergyman refers to dates on a tombstone -- the beginning, the end. He notes that what matters most is what the dash between the dates represents.

QUOTE: For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love and spend our dash.

To me, induction into the Silver Circle represents part of my dash --my careers as a broadcast journalist and as a consultant/coach/mentor. I share this honor with my wife of 32 years, Bonni, seated at Table 6.

By the way, my first job in tv was at Channel 6 in Philadelphia...and also at Table 6 is Bob Feldman, who worked with me there thirty years ago. And I share this honor with my daughters, Dawn and Joy, who could not be here tonight because of their motherhood...which took precedence over daughterhood. Without their love, support, patience and sacrifices, I could not have enjoyed my careers and made my contributions to television news.

I also share this honor with my mother, who is also at Table 6. I am so glad she is here tonight. At this moment, she is "kvelling." That's a Yiddish word for "I'm bursting and blushing because my cup runneth over with pride in the accomplishments of my offspring." All that in one word!

I am thankful to be surrounded tonight by so many friends --my tv family. They have been a part of my dash thus far and I hope they will continue to be.

In an age when television is under such intense scrutiny, it is all the more important for as many of you as possible to enter the Silver Circle. Let quality, ethics and public interest guide you. In an age when television can do so much to improve the human condition, let your own humanity -- your dash-in-progress-- give you the extra incentive to do good ... and do what's right.

And in an age, as in any other, when any breath could be your last, take a cue from that poem I mentioned. It ends:

QUOTE: So when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash, would you be pleased with the things they say about how YOU spent YOUR DASH?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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