More than 50 came to The Book House (7352 Manchester Road) Sunday to hear Wanda Kennedy Kuntz read from her new historical fiction, Kennedy Music, about her musical family and the music store that her father, Ray Kennedy, ran in Maplewood from 1934 through 1979.
Kuntz signed her books, and sold 51 in the day. She read about her imagined meeting of her mother and father, when Ray gives Mae his seat on the streetcar.
According to Kuntz, Ray Kennedy was a handsome trumpet player. Kuntz’s cousin, Chuck Kennedy, said Ray Kennedy was a natural salesman. “He loved people and talking to people,” he said.
Kuntz was a singer, growing up in the musical family. She now lives in St. Louis with her husband and teaches piano lessons.
Some of Kuntz’s 1972 MRH classmates came Sunday too, as well as Chuck Kennedy and his sister Peggy Kennedy Clenney from the Dallas area, and her brother, Tom Kennedy, a musician from New York.
Kuntz said MRH 7th-grader Gwen Robb inspired her to write the story when Robb asked her about the “musical family” that lived in Maplewood.
I just signed up for this website and am sorry I missed the Book Reading on Ray Kennedy. I am a Maplewood Richmond Heights graduate and grew up in Maplewood. We lived at 2620 Sutton and I took violin lessons at Kennedy’s music store. For a time I was a member of the Kennedy Radio Band and we played on the radio on Sunday mornings. Ray Kennedy took us to breakfast at a downtown cafeteria called The Forum, I can’t remember whether this was before or after the radio show. I can still remember the sound of those electric guitars and I played a solo “The Old Rugged Cross” on my violin one time. Sweet memories.
So sorry you missed the book reading. It was a very special day for the Kennedy family, especially Wanda. She did a great job. The bookstore kept a few signed copies, and I know she will be doing more signings. I appreciate your kind words about my Uncle Ray..he was a very special man. Thank you for sharing your memories.
I would like to say a big thank you to all who helped make this book signing a success. I am so proud of Wanda for doing such a great reading, and mostly for being such a great wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and of course, cousin. I also thank you for giving my brother, Chuck, and I an opportunity to make a trip down memory lane as we got to share another wonderful train trip so we could be with you and the family.
What a thrill it was to see all the people coming in to meet Wanda and the family, and to get a glimpse of the wonderful book she has written. My thanks to Michelle at The Book House and Doug Miner for all their help in making this book signing such a success. It was so good to see many friends and family, and of course to be able to hear Wanda share a chapter of the book…so proud of you, little cousin! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that came.
Wanda is such a nice person and her book is wonderful. Way to go, Wanda!
We really enjoyed having you at The Book House Sunday! It was a wonderful event.
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