The Brock community is deeply saddened by the passing of Ken Kernaghan, the distinguished Emeritus Professor who died Sept. 14 at the age of 74.

A popular figure among peers as well as students, Kernaghan taught political science at Brock for 39 years before retiring in 2007. He was a former Chair of the Department of Politics, and was also the founding Director of Brock’s Faculty of Business.

Ken Kernaghan

Kernaghan was a renowned scholar in the fields of ethics and public accountability, and a leading authority on public administration. He headed the Canadian government’s task force on the disclosure of wrongdoing, and his advice was sought by governments at home and abroad.

Among his many honours, Kernaghan was inducted in 2010 as a member of the Order of Canada. In 1996 he was awarded the 1996 Vanier Gold Medal for Excellence in Public Administration, and was elected in 1997 as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

A graduate of McMaster University, where had been president of the student union, Kernaghan went on to receive graduate degrees from Duke University before joining Brock. In a book of essays in his honour, academic colleagues called him “one of the great scholars of his time”.

Longtime Brock political scientist David Siegel, who is currently Interim Dean of the Faculty of Education, said his dear friend and colleague was truly a legend in his field.

“Whenever I went someplace in public administration circles and identified myself as being from Brock, the first question I would get is, ‘How’s Ken Kernaghan?’ Everyone knew him, and by extension everyone knew about Brock. Ken was very proud of his long association with Brock.

“It is not an overstatement to say that Ken was ‘Mr. Public Administration’ for many years. He held all of the prestigious positions that one can hold in his field. He was president of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, the pinnacle professional association in the country.

“He was editor of the most prestigious international and Canadian journals in public administration, and he was a formal and informal adviser to provincial premiers, senior public servants and international leaders.

“But while he did all these things on the national and international scene, he always had time for family and friends. He always spoke with great love of his three sons and his daughters-in-law, and his many grandchildren, and he and his wife Helgi were truly a loving couple.”

Thomas Dunk, Dean of Social Sciences at Brock, spoke of “a huge loss to the Brock community and especially the Faculty of Social Sciences. Ken was a key figure in the growth of the Department of Political Science. His international reputation put his department and the University on the map. He was an exemplary intellectual in both the academic and public sense. He was a renowned teacher, a prolific writer and was very engaged in service to his profession, politicians and public servants. He will be deeply missed by his colleagues, his students and all those who relied on his advice and wisdom.”

Siegel said Kernaghan’s students “spoke of him with great respect and almost reverence.  And he always found time to mentor young colleagues and help them mould their careers.”

“However, what he might want to be most remembered for is his encyclopedic knowledge of and love for Duke basketball.”

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that people direct donations to the Walker Family Cancer Centre in St. Catharines. A private family funeral will be held at Tallman Funeral Home in Vineland.