RICHARD DAVID KENNEY (1918-1957)

During the ANA World's Fair of Money in Oklahoma City, I received a suggestion to write an article about Richard D. Kenney. I appreciate such suggestions. This proved to be a challenge. His family had a knack for keeping their names out of the papers.

I learned quickly that he had two names. Along the way, I came across a serious error in one of my usually reliable sources. Julia Casey helped me around that problem and found some great additional sources.

David Dombroff was born in Brooklyn on February 25, 1918. His father was a cap maker, Abraham Dombroff (1886-1923). His mother was Helen Heneze Sandhaus (1893-1983). They were married on June 3, 1917. Abraham died when David was only five years old. Helen remarried Herman Henry Gottehrur (1877-1944) on October 10, 1931.

As David Dombroff, he sailed to Europe on the Normandie on December 26, 1936, He was a seventeen-year-old Jewish Socialist volunteer for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, fighting in Spain. He was on the side of the Communist Republicans against the Fascist Nationalists. He also had time to visit the Soviet exhibition at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. He returned on the Ile de France on July 6, 1937.

His mother was named Sandhaus, Dombroff, and Gottehrer. She was never married to a Kenney. Sometime between 1937 and 1940, he changed his name to Richard David Kenney. Was he trying to distance himself from his family history or his own private history? I have not found any explanation.

When he enlisted for the draft in 1940, his name was listed as Richard Kenney. At the time, he had one year of college and was working for Morey Manufacturing Co. His mother was listed as Helen Gottehrer. He enlisted as an air cadet on January 19, 1942, and was the sole survivor of a bomber crash in New Guinea. He studied numismatics while recovering in a hospital and chose this as his career.

He joined the ANA as member 10253 on June 1, 1944, listed as Lieutenant Richard Kenney of Ellington Field, Texas. In October 1944, he relocated to Brooklyn and the home of his mother.

He met his future wife at a summer colony in upstate New York about 1936. Kenney was married to Blossom P. Gold (1924-2014) on December 30, 1944. She served with the WACs during World War II. They had three sons, with Alan the first born in 1946.

In The American Numismatic Society 1858-1958, by Howard L Adelson, it is stated, "In 1946. Richard D. Kenney, an experienced numismatist, was engaged as Curator of Medals." That experience is not apparent in my research.

Kenney served as Curator of Medals at the American Numismatic Society from January 14, 1946, to January 10, 1953. During this time, he was also an active member of the New York Numismatic Club. He left New York for a job with James, Inc, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Kenney compiled monographs for The Coin Collector's Journal, published by Wayte Raymond. Struck Copies of Early American Coins (141) was published January-February 1952. My copy has the author's autograph on the cover. So-Called Dollars (150), was published in July-August 1953. Early American Medalists and Die Sinkers (153) was published January-February 1954.

His articles on "Unofficial Coins of the World" were published by The Numismatist posthumously in 1962 to 1964.

He served on the board for the Central States Numismatic Society.

Kenney died of a heart attack at home in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 4, 1957. He is buried with his father at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Kenney was well respected as an authority during his life. His death at age 39 was considered the tragic loss of a young talent.

In 2010, his son Alan sent an inquiry to The E-Sylum. He mentioned that his father worked for Macy's in New York but did not mention the ANS where Richard worked during Alan's childhood. He also did not mention a name change. Alan died in 2024.

To read earlier E-Sylum article, see:
QUERY: INFORMATION ON RICHARD D. KENNEY SOUGHT (https://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n41a18.html)

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