Guide to the Alex D. Kennedy Collection
Special Collections & Archives
University Library
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Alex D. Kennedy Collection
Creator:
Kennedy, Alex D., 1930-
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.ADK
Extent:
1.64 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1923-2002
Abstract: Alex D. Kennedy was born in Shanghai in
1930. He was the fourth son of Colonle Dimitry Vasilivich and Ekaterina Nikitichna Kochneff,
and attended both the Public & Thomas Hanbury School and St. Francis Xavier's College in
Shanghai. The collection contains items saved by Kennedy that relate to his experience
living in Shanghai, and visiting China and Hong Kong multiple times later in life, including
articles, brochures, a book of illustrations, postcards, maps, yearbooks, programs,
newsletters, photographs and correspondence.
Language of Material:
English,
Russian,
French,
Chinese
Scope and Contents
The
Alex D. Kennedy Collection consists of items relating to
Kennedy's childhood in Shanghai as well as his continued interest in China and trips he and
his wife took to Asia and Old China Hands Reunions. The collection is divided into three
series:
Shanghai Materials (1923-1949),
Trips
(1982-2002), and
General China Information
(1980-2000).
Series I,
Shanghai Materials, consists of items from Kennedy's
childhood growing up in Shanghai. This includes a photograph of his parents, greeting cards,
and yearbooks, newsletters and photographs from multiple schools attended by Kennedy.
Series II,
Trips, consists of materials from various vacations
taken by Kennedy and his wife, including trips to Hong Kong, multiple cities in China, and
the Old China Hands Reunion in Las Vegas in 1996. Materials in the series include postcards,
itineraries, brochures, business cards, guidebooks, general information, programs, and
maps.
Series III,
General China Information, consists of print items
collected by Kennedy related to Shanghai, China and Chinese culture in general. This
includes multiple magazine and newspaper articles, notes, Chinese workbooks, and
correspondence about a documentary on Jewish refugees in Shanghai.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Shanghai Materials, 1923-1949
Series II: Trips, 1982-2002
Series III: General China Information, 1980-2000
Biographical Information:
Alex D. Kennedy, originally named Alex Kochneff, was born in Shanghai in 1930. He was the
fourth son of Colonel Dimitry Vasilivich and Ekaterina Nikitichna Kochneff, who had fled to
Shanghai in the wake of the Russian Revolution in 1921. Kennedy attended the Public &
Thomas Hanbury School starting at the age of six, and transferred to St. Francis Xavier's
College during World War II. After the war, the family left China for the Philippines, where
as stateless Russians, they lived in a displaced persons' camp for almost two years. They
were then able to travel to the United States, where they arrived in San Francisco in
November of 1950. Kennedy became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Alex D. Kennedy, 2010.
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Jessica Geiser, 2013
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Maps
Documents
Photographs
Series I: Shanghai Materials, 1923-1949
Box 1, Folder 1
Photograph of Dimitry Vasilivich, Ekaterina Nikitchna Kochneff and son
Yuri,
ca. 1923
Box 1, Folder 2
French Municipal College Yearbook,
1936
Box 1, Folder 3
In Uno - Public and Thomas Hanbury School for Boys Yearbook,
1936
Box 1, Folder 4
St. Francis Xavier's College Annual Athletic Meeting Programme,
1947
Box 1, Folder 5
St. Francis Xavier's College Class Photograph,
1949
Box 1, Folder 6
Birthday and Christmas Cards
Box 2, Item 1
Album of Illustrations of Various Landmarks and Scenery Throughout
China
Folder 1, Item 1
In Uno - Public & Thomas Hanbury School for Boys Newsletter - Vol. 1 No.
1,
1943 November 1
Folder 1, Item 2
In Uno - Public & Thomas Hanbury School for Boys Newsletter - Vol. 25 No.
1,
1944 March 1
Folder 1, Item 3
In Uno - Public & Thomas Hanbury School for Boys Newsletter - Vol. 25 No.
2,
1944 April 17
Folder 1, Item 4
In Uno - Public & Thomas Hanbury School for Boys Newsletter - Vol. 25 No.
3,
1944 June 28
Folder 2, Item 1
Panoramic Photograph of The Bund, Shanghai
Folder 2, Item 2
New Map of Shanghai,
July 1945
Series II: Trips, 1982-2002
Box 1, Folder 8
Hong Kong Trip - Business Cards, Itinerary, Information,
May 1990
Box 1, Folder 9
Shanghai Informational Brochure,
ca. 1990-1999
Box 1, Folder 10
Old China Hands Reunion Materials,
September 1996
Box 1, Folder 11
"Silk and Spice Cruise" Trip to Hong Kong and China - Brochure and Article
Written by Caroline Kennedy,
1996
Box 1, Folder 12
Information about China from Eastern Journeys (Travel Company),
ca. 2002
Box 3, Item 1
44 Blank Postcards of Beijing, The National Palace, Tiananmen, Ming Tombs,
Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City
Box 3, Item 2
2 Blank Postcards of Dalian, China
Box 3, Item 3
16 Blank Postcards of The Great Wall
Box 3, Item 4
23 Blank Postcards of Hong Kong
Box 3, Item 5
3 Blank Postcards of Macau
Box 3, Item 6
33 Blank Postcards of Shanghai
Box 3, Item 7
19 Blank Postcards of Xi'an, Terracotta Warriors and the Big Wild Goose
Pagoda
Folder 3, Item 1
Beijing Tourist Map,
1996
Folder 3, Item 2
Map of the People's Republic of China,
1980
Folder 3, Item 4
Shanghai Tourist Map,
1984
Series III: General China Information, 1980-2000
Box 1, Folder 13
National Geographic, Vol. 158 No. 1 - Two
Articles on Shanghai,
July 1980
Box 1, Folder 14
"China - 50 Years Later" -
Novoye Russkoye
Slovo,
1933 October 24
Box 1, Folder 15
"Shanghai Surprise" -
Atlantic
Monthly,
July 1988
Box 1, Folder 16
Cond
é Nast Traveler
- Article on Shanghai,
August 1994
Box 1, Folder 17
Correspondence about Documentary "The Port of Last Resort,"
2000
Box 1, Folder 18
Chinese: 16 Cultural Activities for K-6 Children
by Barbara Schubert and Marlene Bird
Box 1, Folder 19
Notes Written by Kennedy on Chinese Culture
Folder 4, Item 1
"Many Tourists Miss 'Chinatown' in Shanghai"
Folder 4, Item 2
"Ambitious, Brash Shanghai Showing Tinges of Past Glories,"
The Sunday Oregonian,
1981 November 8
Folder 4, Item 3
"Ballard Finds No Flaws in Film Made From His Novel,"
The Sunday Oregonian (with written commentary from Kennedy),
1988 January 10
Folder 4, Item 4
"Shanghai: The Talk of People's Park,"
The New York
Times Magazine,
1988 April 3
Folder 4, Item 5
Chinatown Clatter Vol. 1,
1996
Folder 4, Item 6
"Lunar New Year Offers Reasons to Celebrate,"
The Sunday
Oregonian,
1999 February 7
Folder 4, Item 7
The Asian Wall Street Journal,
1999 November 12-13
Folder 4, Item 8
"Character Study: Chinese American Elders Reconnect With Their Culture by
Learning Caligraphy,"
The Oregonian,
2001 December 11
