Roadway Dedicated in Honor of Robert J. McKenna

President of the Senate M. Teresa Paiva Weed and members of the McKenna family were joined by Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and Newport officials at Fort Adams State Park on Friday for the official dedication of the new Robert J. McKenna Boulevard.

The roadway, typically utilized by pedestrian traffic, stretches from the Fort Adams State Park Visitor’s Center to the west gate of the fort. It was renamed through legislation sponsored by Senate President Paiva Weed in the 2012 legislative session to honor the former Newport mayor, who passed away in January.

“Bob McKenna enriched the lives of the Newporters who knew him personally and those who felt his impact through his many deeds on behalf of the city. This is a fitting tribute to his lasting legacy in our community,” said Senate President Paiva Weed (D – Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown). “I was blessed to call Bob both a mentor and a friend.”

McKenna served as Mayor of Newport from 1988 to 1994. He was a State Representative from 1969 to 1973, and a State Senator from 1974 to 1985. A 30 year teacher and administrator at Salve Regina University, McKenna was highly regarded in the field of higher education. For 18 years he served as President of the Rhode Island Independent Higher Education Association. He was also a member and served as Chairman of the New England Board of Higher Education, the Higher Education Assistance Authority, and the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority.

“Bob always sought to give back to the community. He helped to open the doors of higher education to many Rhode Islanders. He worked for causes such as historical preservation and the honoring of heritage. He also worked for the restoration of Fort Adams, an appropriate site for the roadway,” said President Paiva Weed.

Governor Chafee observed, “Bob McKenna was a great Rhode Islander. He was a champion of his home city of Newport, of access to higher education, and of historic preservation, among many other causes. Our state has lost a legendary citizen, and I am pleased that Bob’s life and legacy will be honored with the dedication of Robert J. McKenna Boulevard at his beloved Fort Adams.”

Born in Providence in 1931, McKenna was educated at Saint Patrick’s School, La Salle Academy, Brown University and Catholic University of America. He received an honorary doctorate degree from Our Lady of Providence Seminary.

After graduating from Brown University in 1953, McKenna enlisted with the United States Army and became a Russian linguist at the Army Language School in Monterey, California. He married the former Mary Jean Kelly and they moved to Washington, D.C., where Mr. McKenna worked for the National Security Agency, the Walter Reed Medical Center, and as a Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell. McKenna moved to Newport in 1965 to work for what was then Salve Regina College, where he taught and served as an administrator for 30 years.

Mary Jean McKenna was on hand for today’s dedication ceremony. She and family members unveiled one of the new road signs. “Bob had an abiding interest in the fort for 43 years,” said Mary Jean McKenna. “This means a great deal to me, and I know that Bob would be very pleased.”

Among the numerous civic organizations to which he belonged were the Irish Heritage Association, the Museum of Newport Irish History, the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, Festa Italiana, the Berkeley Society, the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Heritage Commission, the Heritage Harbor Project, the Blue Cross Board, the Newport County Mental Health Center, the Preservation Society, the Newport Historical Society, and the Newport Democratic City Committee. He was a longtime member of Right to Life of Rhode Island. He served as the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Marshal. Along with Mary Jean, he was named Democrat of the Year in 2005. During his tenure as Mayor he fostered the sister city relationship between Newport and Shimoda, Japan, and Newport began celebrating the Black Ships Festival.

McKenna was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame and the La Salle Academy Hall of Fame, and he was a Knight of Saint Gregory the Great.

Representative J. Russell Jackson (D – Dist. 73, Middletown, Newport) sponsored the companion legislation in the House. He noted, “It is fitting that a roadway in historic Fort Adams State Park is now dedicated to a man who devoted so much of his energies to preserving Newport’s historic treasures.”

Throughout his career, McKenna was committed to the preservation and restoration of Fort Adams. He was a member of the Fort Adams Foundation and a founding member of the Fort Adams Trust.

McKenna was a strong family man. His loving family includes his children, Kelly McKenna, Margaret Enkler, Mark McKenna, Raymond McKenna, Elizabeth McKenna, Paul McKenna, and Patricia MacDonald. Mr. McKenna took particular pride and joy in his grandchildren: Erika and Tristan Enkler, Sean McKenna, Julia, Ryan, Kaitlin and Joshua McKenna, Emily and Phoebe MacDonald, and Kyle and Brandan McKenna.