Donald Kennedy; Internationally Known Auctioneer

Donald F. Kennedy, 66, a co-founder of the auction sales firm Kennedy-Wilson International. A native of Portland, Ore., Kennedy owned and operated Portland Auto Auction for 27 years. He moved to Los Angeles in 1977 to co-found Kennedy Wilson with John Wilson and apply the auctioneering sales technique to art and antiques. They were later joined by Bill Stevenson, who moved the Santa Monica-based firm into auction sales of real estate. An internationally known auctioneer, Kennedy hosted many charity auction events and sold luxury goods--from automobiles to homes and hotels to Elvis Presley’s original guitar. In Portland, he served as president of the Western Auto Assn. and the Oregon Independent Auto Dealers Assn. Active in the California Yacht Club, he lived on his yacht “Irish Love” for many years. On March 18 in Portland, Ore., of heart problems.