Dr. William R. Kennedy, Bill for his friends, died on January 3rd, 2026, at the age of 98, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Bill was born in Des Plaines, Illinois, but grew up in Waukegan. After completing his B.S. in pre-medicine at the University of Illinois (Urbana) in 1951, and an M.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in 1952, he was accepted at the Marquette University School of Medicine (now Medical College of Wisconsin) were he completed the medical degree in 1958, and also obtained his lifetime partner, Marla Mueller, who he married in 1957.

After an internship at Philadelphia General Hospital, Bill pursued a residency in Internal Medicine, and then in Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he had the opportunity to train with Edward Lambert at the early times of electromyography development.

In 1964 he joined the Department of Neurology, headed by Dr. Abe Baker, at the University of Minnesota and started his own EMG lab and a wide career in neurological research, particularly in peripheral neuropathies. Until his retirement at 92 years, Bill has left a superb trajectory in the field of neurology and neurophysiology, achieving high international reputation. He leaves a legacy for Neurology, exemplified in the seminal description of the disease that bears his name, Kennedy’s disease, not mentioning many other key contributions to our knowledge of neurological diseases.

During the more than 34 years that Bill was the chief of the Neuromuscular Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, he trained a large number of neurologists and international fellows in the art and the science of electromyography. In addition, he leaded the development of new neurophysiological methods to quantitatively study the functions of the autonomic nervous system and of sensory systems, strongly influencing the application of those quantitative methods as standards in clinical diagnosis. In the early 1980’s Bill developed in his lab a battery of tests for quantitative sensory testing and for autonomic assessment, including cardiovascular tests and sudomotor tests; among which his proprietary “silicone mold technique”. Together with conventional electrophysiological tests, Bill used these techniques for the thorough evaluation of patients with peripheral neuropathies, particularly diabetic patients entering large trials. Certainly, the most relevant and impacting area of this research focused on the evaluation of diabetic neuropathy and the effects of pancreas transplantation, a topic in which he has been the most recognized authority worldwide.

Bill left an extraordinary record of scholar and scientific achievements. From his early investigations on muscle spindle structure and function in normal and disease conditions to his last topic of research on the innervation of skin and visceral organs, he has proved an exceptional vision opening new fields of clinical research to the neuroscientific community. He was very innovative, developing and patenting some of his own equipment and new devices for the quantitative evaluation of neural functions.  

Finally, it is worth to mention Bill’s contributions  to the medical profession. He has been a recognized member of many scientific and medical societies, in which he developed an intense and fruitful task for improving the standards of medical care, training and research. Bill was among the founders of the PNS, coming from the merging of the Peripheral Nerve Association of America and the Peripheral Nerve Study Group, and regularly participated in the PNS meetings until his late retirement. He was also founder and President (1973-1974) of the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. Of significant relevance are his contributions during more than 10 years in the Council of Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association, in which he promoted regulatory documents for the promotion and protection of human health. For this commitment, William Kennedy received several recognitions, such as the “Lambert lecturer” by the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AAEM) in 2003, Honorary Member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in 2004, “Giant of Neurology” award by the AAN Foundation in 2006, Honorary member of the American Neurological Association, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” of the AAEM in 2010.

Bill also had a remarkable life outside of the lab, and always maintained an excellent physical condition  He was an excellent tennis player, competing well into his 90s, practiced downhill skiing in Colorado until he was 92, and made many canoe trips into the Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Wilderness with his children, fellows and colleagues. He leaves her wife Marla, 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 2 greatgrandchildren with the best memories of an honest man, a hard worker and a dedicated person to his medical profession and to his family and friends.

– Xavier Navarro, MD, PhD, Professor of Physiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

– Paul E. Barkhaus, MD, Professor of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin.

We will honor and remember Dr. Kennedy at the upcoming Peripheral Nerve Society (PNS) Meeting in Maastricht in 2026.