John M. McKenna I (b. 9 January 1932)

Full Q&A Transcript

OCR-assisted transcript made from 300-DPI page renderings of the 97-page PDF on 13 May 2026, then reviewed against the page images. The printed book prompts are normalized as short question labels rather than quoted verbatim. John's handwritten answers are transcribed in normalized spelling where clear; doubtful readings are marked [unclear]. The PDF ends at image page 97 / printed book page 115, so later printed contents listed in the table of contents are not present in the saved source file.

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PDF pages 1-6 · Cover, family tree, title, contents, inscription

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Q: Book title: A Grandparent's Book: Answers to a Grandchild's Questions, by Milton Kamen.
Q: Maternal-side family tree: Roseanna + Ed Henry are written as great-grandparents; Monica Henry is written as grandmother; Marie Morrissey, 1896-1991, is written as mother. Some names on the far side of the tree are partly lost in the book gutter.
Q: Paternal-side family tree: Thomas McKenna, 1772/1773-1835; Jane Folkes/Foulkes, 1840; Annie Thornton, 1895; Thomas McKenna, 1800-1870; Margaret Sheahan, 1869; James McKenna, 1825; Philip J. McKenna, 1862-1924; Philip J. McKenna Jr., 1898-1980; John M. McKenna, 1932. The first Thomas birth year is faint and could be read as either 1772 or 1773 on the page image.
Q: Grandparents' names, birth dates, birth places: John M. M'Kenna - Joan C. Stapleton. John: Jan. 9, 1932, Evanston, Ill., USA. Joan: Nov. 30, 1933, Scranton, Ohio, at home.
Q: Inscription: Connor P. Kucera. By Grandfather John M. McKenna, Feb. 1992.

PDF pages 7-9 · Beginnings

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Q: Birthplace: John was born in Evanston, Illinois, USA, at St. Mary's Hospital.
Q: Birth date and time: Jan. 9, 1932. The time is not clearly written.
Q: Birth weight and newborn health: Birth weight not entered. He was a healthy newborn baby.
Q: Parents' names and ages: Philip McKenna, age 34, and Marie Morrissey McKenna, age 36.
Q: Where John was when Connor was born: Denver, Colorado.
Q: Prediction of Connor's sex: No.
Q: How he learned Connor had arrived: Telephone call from Singapore.
Q: First people told: Uncles and aunts: Colleen, Todd, Phil, Leslie, John II, Brian, Byrne, and Heidi.
Q: Suggested names for Connor: "No way."
Q: First time he saw Connor: Christmas 1991. He notes a big party in Lakewood, Colorado, on Dec. 28, where the McKenna aunts and uncles and old friends could see Connor's beautiful smile.
Q: Unusual circumstances of birth: For John: no. For Joan: yes; she was born at home because her father did not want her exchanged for the wrong baby in a hospital.
Q: Full name and meaning: John M. McKenna. The "M" stands for Morrissey; he was named after his grandfather John Morrissey.

PDF pages 10-16 · When John Was Very Young

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Q: First remembered home: Ravinia / Highland Park, on Burton Avenue, where the family rented.
Q: Neighbors: Good neighbors, many Italian families, and the Sheridan family.
Q: First best friend: Don, who lived behind him. Don took an egg from his mother's ice box and they hatched it with John's chicken.
Q: Other childhood friends: George Gladder/Glader and Fred Schweiger are named; the surrounding note is partly unclear.
Q: Childhood objects still kept: Old chairs, a desk, and other things that are now called antiques.
Q: Siblings as a young child: His brother was born at the same hospital. They lived in Chicago / Highland Park; some wording is unclear.
Q: Childhood room and house: The family moved to 983 Ridgewood Drive, Highland Park. He remembers the yard and the nearby train tracks, which his father rode for more than 50 years.
Q: Favorite games: Tag and hide-and-seek. He remembers a large yard and a large open area or "forest" across the street.
Q: Favorite book and stories: His father was a big reader and bought almost anything he wanted, including Robinson Crusoe. He also mentions Christmas / nursery stories; one reading is unclear.
Q: Secret hiding place: No.
Q: Family pets: A Boston Bull Terrier dog and 52 pet chickens, including Japanese Silkies and many Bantams. The current page summary identifies a favorite Bantam called Yagi-jolen.
Q: Favorite relatives: "Yes - lots." He remembers the McKenna side having children nearby and Aunt Ruth across the way; some of the note is unclear.
Q: Adults who cared for him when parents were away: He remembers little travel in the war years, 1941-45, so there was not much need. A name or helper at the start is unclear.
Q: Grown-up friend not a relative: He remembers a retired railroad man near them. Older men would build a lean-to in their yard, carve wood, and talk about their railroad days. He remembers a cost of a nickel, but the exact context is unclear.
Q: Favorite radio and television programs: The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. They did not have TV until he was about 15, after the war was over.
Q: Indoor and outdoor games: Tag and hide-and-seek with neighbors, cousins, and friends. A lot of people were coming and going.
Q: Special memory of his mother: She was a housewife and bridge player, and drove to the train morning and evening to drop off and pick up Dad. Aunt Vi tried to teach her to smoke, but she could not get the idea.
Q: Special memory of his father: An attorney active in Highland Park politics, including 16 years as head of zoning. His Chicago practice handled cargo loans and estates. John remembers him saying people never fought over the dollar amount; they fought over rings and such.

PDF pages 17-19 · Grammar School Years

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Q: Grammar school: Lincoln School, Highland Park, Illinois. He remembers it as a very long walk on a cold day.
Q: Years attended: Eight years, 1938-1946.
Q: Teachers and subjects: He was not a fast student and did not especially connect with teachers. Favorite grammar school subjects: none. He notes athletics and school games were more important to him.
Q: School plays or concerts: He mentions Tom Sawyer; the rest is unclear.
Q: Best friends in grammar school: George "Bud" Gladder/Glader, who lived three blocks away and whose father was the milk man; Fred Schweiger, also about three blocks away; and the Chandlers. Some surnames in this answer remain uncertain.
Q: School-night bedtime: He does not remember, but notes they did not have TV and similar distractions.
Q: Chores: He had 52 pet chickens and a big yard. He, his father, and brother also had a melon garden. He worked the garden and yard and cut grass with an old push mower that never broke.
Q: Summer vacations: OCR and handwriting are difficult here. He mentions Wisconsin and the Old Heidelberg restaurant in Chicago. He also remembers school buildings vividly, including "the Red" and "the Main."
Q: Allowance: He does not remember much. He spent it on hamburgers and other small treats.

PDF pages 20-30 · High School Years

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Q: High schools: Highland Park High School, then St. Norbert High School in De Pere, Wisconsin, a boarding school near Green Bay.
Q: Favorite teachers: Father Cleberts / Clobits, remembered as an athletic director and principal figure at St. Norbert. Father De Leers/De Sains is mentioned elsewhere as less interested in athletics.
Q: Disliked subjects: Most of them.
Q: Closest friends: At St. Norbert he had good friends, though not all names are clear. A Chicago friend is mentioned in the margin.
Q: Sports: Football and track, including the 880, plus other track events. He says he was on all of those teams and more.
Q: Clubs and activities: No clubs in high school and no newspaper or scholastic clubs.
Q: Awards: A lot of medals, blankets, and letters, mostly athletic.
Q: Most envied student: Fred Schweiger, a good friend and scholar, who went to West Point and later lived in Northbrook, Illinois.
Q: Teacher with the most influence: The principal at St. Norbert had the most influence, giving him stability and a strong framework. Some of the detailed anecdote is unclear, but Father Cleberts and Father De Leers are both discussed.
Q: Dating: He says "not really," then notes he dated girls from different social groups; the names and details are partly unclear.
Q: Plans after high school: He had thought about agriculture, but was not sure. A note about Father De Leers, St. Norbert, and football appears here.
Q: Influential friends: Those he could be around. He describes himself as a leader but also a follower.
Q: Fights: Not much, though "once in a while."
Q: Part-time and summer jobs: He worked in summer and some evenings. Fort Sheridan is named as one of the higher-paying jobs, about $1.25 an hour.
Q: Favorite books and movies: He liked Catholic books. For movies, the family followed the bishops' recommendations and took their moral ratings seriously: divorce, sex, bad language, and violence mattered, though violence appeared in westerns.
Q: Favorite athletes, magazines, radio, television, actors: No favorite team is clear. He read Look, Life, and Post. He watched early TV, including Ed Sullivan. He once saw Ed Sullivan rehearsing in a New York studio while with Father Robert Troy, a cousin, in 1955. Favorite actors include Bing Crosby and others from that era; a family in-law name Alicia Cook/Cooke is uncertain.
Q: Popular songs, dances, clothing: He lists songs including "Low High," "If He Day," "Bell Bottom Trousers," "Cuddle Up a Little Closer," and "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" as best read from the page. He went to dancing school in grade school but was not much of a dancer. Clothing was not a big deal to him; he mentions the zoot suit / tight-suit style and a hat from grade school.
Q: Satisfaction and disappointment: The most satisfying part seems connected to stability and progress at St. Norbert. Test scores were his greatest disappointment; they were almost always a disappointment.
Q: Driving: His mother taught him to drive. The car details are not clear.
Q: Relationship with parents: He got along very well with his mother, who would remind him to change socks and similar things. He admired his father deeply: University of Illinois agriculture, later law at Northwestern; scholar, big reader, beloved man, fixer of everything but cars, active in church and local politics.
Q: Adult friends: "Uncle Bud" was Dad's best friend and was not a relative. John describes him as a successful Chicago real estate man who built the Prudential Building, served as John's Confirmation sponsor, and eventually became ambassador to England. A separate dating note mentions Peggy.
Q: Falling in love: No one in particular before Joan.

PDF pages 31-33 · College, University, and Later Study

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Q: Colleges attended: St. Norbert College, Colorado College, St. Edward's in Austin, Loyola, Detroit, East Texas State / Commerce, Texas Southmost / Brownsville, Oxford University, and other later coursework are named across the page and later religion section. Some entries appear to be continuing-education or career-development settings rather than full degree programs.
Q: Memorable teachers: Sh. Warner Hester at Colorado College and Father De Leers at St. Norbert are named. Father De Leers became dean of men and later became a friend.
Q: Maturity and college life: He says that because of the U.S. Air Force years and age, he became more mature and more interested. He lived in a "house" at St. Norbert with other veterans and had to learn to argue or counter ideas.
Q: Clubs: Veterans group, ski club, and Phi Gamma Delta are named.
Q: Awards and scholastic recognition: No scholastic awards.
Q: Memorable work experience: He remembers a construction accident or cave-in in Green Bay around 1955-56. Another man had gone down into a pit with nine kids at home; dirt came down on him. John did not expect that kind of experience, and it stuck with him.
Q: Graduate or professional school: No formal graduate or professional degree, but he stayed ahead in sales and later taught Dale Carnegie courses part-time.
Q: GI Bill and Oxford: He was on the GI Bill at St. Norbert, and later went to Oxford on the GI Bill, with his parents helping on transportation and related costs.

PDF pages 34-38 · Friends

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Q: Childhood friends he stayed in touch with: Jim Varney and Fred Schweiger. Bud Gladder/Glader died around 1968.
Q: Other friends: Tom Parsons, the Strattons, and a few unclear names are listed. Dick Halds/Holtz, an Air Force contact, is someone he lost track of. David W. Torres / Willie Torres, a civilian friend from Brownsville, Texas, is named in the notes.
Q: Friends who surprised him by reconnecting: Tom and a Green Bay / high school alumni group called him in 1990 from a reunion when he was very sick.
Q: Closest friends in 1992: A friend from the USAF met in 1952 died in Dec. 1991; Don Miley/Milley is named as a friend since retirement; Chuck is also named. Some names are uncertain.
Q: Reunions: He went to some reunions and thought they could be meaningful with the right people; the wording is partly unclear.
Q: Most amusing friend: Probably his brother Phil; John says he appreciated humor most.
Q: Quarrels with friends: Not really. He notes that illness and age can make people draw inward or seek narrower interests.
Q: Joan's best friend: He says Joan's best friend was Helen, who knew her in Milwaukee when Joan came up to get a nursing job while he was living in De Pere, Wisconsin. Details are partly unclear.
Q: Favorite friend story: Mary Williams moved to Texas, joined Weight Watchers even though she was already slim, and used it to meet people and avoid loneliness.
Q: Best friend within the family: His brother. The brothers became much more connected after Phil moved near him, around 1984, from Oklahoma.
Q: Friends who would do the most without being asked: The page is difficult, but he refers to friends being there when he was very sick.

PDF pages 39-43 · At His Own Home

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Q: Leaving parents' home: He left around age 16 for boarding school, but says the family break did not really happen until age 18. The Korean "Police Action" and the draft shaped his decision to join the Air Force because it sounded better than the Army.
Q: Childhood home: 983 Ridgewood Drive, Highland Park, was a large two-story, almost three-story house with three bedrooms and a family / dining / kitchen arrangement. It had a garage, a sizable lot, a screened summer house for picnics, and a stone fireplace for grilling. He lived there from about age 4 to 18, roughly 1936-1950.
Q: USAF note: He joined the Air Force after struggling with school and expecting the draft. Fort Sheridan summer work had shown him soldiers moving out, and he figured four years was a way through the situation.
Q: Later houses and apartments: After college he lived with friends and rented a room. In Milwaukee he remembers the Bay Shore area and a landlord from whom he rented a room.
Q: Furnishings from parents: He had chairs and other family items, plus pictures his mother painted and other things that reminded him of home.
Q: Least expensive home: The early Ravinia / Highland Park rental on Burton Avenue. The later Lake Forest home at 200 N. Ridge Road was the home of his parents after 1958.
Q: Favorite home: The Ridgewood Drive house, with a big lot and small forest across the street. He remembers neighborhood Christmas and summer parties.
Q: Favorite room: His room/window at the Highland Park house, where he could look out at the backyard, the green grass, and flowers.
Q: Favorite furniture: A maple student-size desk his parents bought for him, which he still had.
Q: Korea / military reflection: He says Korea turned out to be good for him. He had stability from home, discipline from boarding school, and could function in the military. He mentions his last years at Harlingen, Texas, where they opened a new base and his friends were Christians.
Q: Neighbors: He disliked losing old neighbors as houses were torn down and replaced. He says the new houses might be beautiful, but the old people could not be replaced.
Q: Harlingen work note: He worked at the Hamburger King in Harlingen, Texas, at age 19, and became bartender manager. This note continues from his Air Force years.

PDF pages 44-51 · Marriage

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Q: Military-to-marriage transition note: The opening marriage page contains a continuation of Air Force reflections. He describes it as a maturing period and says the sun / base / Air Force period was better than expected; the exact wording is unclear.
Q: Meeting Joan: He met Joan, age 23, on the Empress of Britain in 1957 while traveling from Montreal to Liverpool.
Q: Attraction: He describes Joan as a beautiful red-headed girl with a fresh personality and humor. He was interested immediately.
Q: Courtship length: They knew each other about five months before seriously discussing marriage, then had a longer period before they were together in Milwaukee. From meeting to marriage was about 14 months.
Q: Engagement: They went to a German restaurant in Thiensville / Mequon, Wisconsin, and he gave her the ring. The ring had actually been bought earlier in Chicago through a business contact.
Q: Parents' reactions: His parents were happy. Her parents' reaction is partly unclear, but not hostile.
Q: Engagement present: He gave Joan a diamond ring.
Q: Wedding clothing and guests: He wore a tux. About 500 people attended, including many from Scranton and about 40 from Chicago / Highland Park country, plus Aunt Ruth and people from Wisconsin.
Q: Wedding memory: The church and Father Day are remembered. Joan looked beautiful. The image says the wedding was at St. Catherine Church in Champaign; the wording around "better or worse" and timing is partly unclear.
Q: First night: Brown's Motel, Cleveland, Ohio.
Q: Wedding photos: They had photos, mostly black and white, in an album.
Q: Honeymoon: Yes, to the Pocono Mountains. They also visited Joan's Werner-side family: Aunt Ethel, cousin Phil and Mary Hart, Marguerite, Ned Dorris/Doris, and children; several names are partly uncertain.
Q: First things bought together: An ice box is specifically mentioned, which they still had many years later.
Q: Surprise after marriage: Joan did not know him as well as he thought she did, but their courtship had been short and they were apart for much of it.
Q: First argument: He does not remember, but suggests it may have been when Joan found he had placed all his hats in the dining-room china cabinets in their apartment. He thought the hats looked good.
Q: Friends and interests as a couple: The page is hard to read. He mentions owning an outhouse or tract home, pride in something near "Shed" / "beat" [unclear], and shared activities including camping, hiking, and skiing before health limited them.
Q: Favorite story about Joan: After their last child, he recalls saying "Only 18 more to go." He also tells a parking-lot story: Joan was hit by another car, the man left a note, and when Joan called, the woman on the phone apparently said her husband did not [finish unclear].
Q: More than one marriage / children by another marriage: No and no.

PDF pages 52-60 · Travel

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Q: Early travel and hotels: He remembers an early hotel, possibly the Rosin/Rosen, but the name is unclear. He also recalls childhood or early trips involving Lake Geneva / Glen City wording that is difficult to read.
Q: Adventurous travel memory: He remembers slot machines when they were new: older women putting nickels or coins in the slots, then he and others trying the machines afterward.
Q: Good Samaritans / being lost: He and Joan traveled extensively in Europe, Ireland, Israel, China, Hong Kong, and Mexico. He describes a Vienna-area train mistake where they went too far and had to get off and backtrack; the experience was unnerving but memorable.
Q: Most extraordinary trip: The best trip was 16 days to Ireland at Easter 1985. They did not want a bus tour because that could have been a restriction.
Q: Other adventure memories: In 1948 he rode a donkey at the Grand Canyon. In 1957 he took a bicycle ride around castles in Ireland and a horse around the Ring of Kerry. He also notes walking to school every day in Highland Park.
Q: Best trip together: He points back to the Ireland trip and adds a note about the 1957 ship fare / spring fare; the exact figures are unclear.
Q: Travel with friends and friends made while traveling: They traveled on tours and met interesting people, including people in Hong Kong and Europe. A line seems to mention meeting Morton Kamen / Brian, but the reading is uncertain.
Q: Foreign countries visited: Mexico, Canada, China, Hong Kong, all of Europe twice, England, Ireland, and Israel.
Q: Places to return or avoid: He would return to all of them, especially Ireland and Israel. He lists no definite place he would not return to.
Q: Cruises: He notes long cruises / long trips, but the page is sparse.
Q: Best hotel and restaurant: They tended to choose smaller hotels when traveling in foreign countries. A bed-and-breakfast in London stands out in 1983, and another place in Germany / Munich is mentioned. He liked German restaurants with ham hocks / pork, but also liked French food and food in places shaped by people returning from all over the world.
Q: Most spectacular sight: The Great Wall of China, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and the old city of Jerusalem are listed. He notes the Jerusalem memory was about 35 years earlier.
Q: Greatest travel memory: The family trip to Mexico should be a movie: Mexico City and Acapulco with the eight of them. He says he would need to write another seven books about that trip.

PDF pages 61-65 · Work, Jobs, and Money

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Q: First full-time job and sales career: He gravitated to sales because of personality. Ross / R.R. Donnelley-style forms in Milwaukee is named, then Denver, pharmaceuticals, Montgomery Ward, A. H. Robins, and Miles Inc. / pharmaceutical work. Some company names are uncertain from handwriting.
Q: Summer and service jobs: High school and college jobs included Fort Sheridan in Highwood, Illinois, cleaning old coal furnaces; gardening on his own for neighbors; and construction work in Green Bay. In the service he also worked off-duty.
Q: Other jobs: In 1970 he went to what became Miles, after Miles bought or followed another company. He worked with dermatology and allergy medicines, including antibiotics; the product names are unclear.
Q: Own business: No.
Q: Most important help in work: The Dale Carnegie course, taken around 1960, was the major "what." The "who" answer is unclear, but seems to refer to a man in sales or a supervisor who promoted him and sent him around the region.
Q: Most extravagant thing: Possibly moving to Colorado in 1969 with a new job and buying / building a house in Lakewood while already having children. He also mentions a dining-room set.
Q: Severe financial crisis: Yes, connected with the above move and job situation.
Q: Soundest investment: He says the answer depends on the moment. Writing in early 1992, he reflects on the Berlin Wall coming down, Russia, the stock market, and President Bush. He warns against too much debt except perhaps a house, urges watching world events, and says the family must stay right with God and live with integrity while still being bold and daring.

PDF pages 66-74 · Family Lore

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Q: Grandparents' names: Philip Joseph and Joanna Richardson McKenna; Monica and John Morrissey.
Q: Grandparents' origins: Philip came from Foynes, Limerick, Ireland. Joanna Richardson came from Escanaba, Michigan. Monica Morrissey was from Champaign, Illinois. John Morrissey came from upper New York.
Q: Memories of grandparents: Philip, Monica, and John all died before John was born. Joanna lived in the "city of Chicago," and he would visit her in her apartment. When she could no longer take care of herself, after his sister Aunt May died, she lived with John's family. She always did the dishes for John and his brother, standing on one crutch. Later she moved back east, to Baltimore, and died at Aunt Eleanor's while John was in the service. She was about 88 years old and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Chicago.
Q: Great aunts and uncles: He says he did not know many great uncles or aunts. They died in Champaign, Chicago, and Pittsburgh before he was born. In Champaign, one was buried without even a grave stone; another, Dan Morrissey, bought up farmland and made a tremendous amount of money. On the Henry side he visited the grave stone at Protestant Cemetery in Chicago and believed one was buried there.
Q: Notes on Morrissey and Henry grandparents: Monica Morrissey's mother was Henry. John Morrissey and his brothers came from upper New York; he ran a tobacco shop and became a gentleman farmer, owning about 240 acres in Champaign and 640 acres in Mott, North Dakota.
Q: Notes on Philip Joseph McKenna I: Philip McKenna I came from Ireland. He was college educated in Dublin and probably already an attorney. He was editor of The Sentinel newspaper. A Catholic Forester / Forrester magazine "enticed" or connected him to move to Chicago, or he wrote for it; the exact phrase is uncertain. He became a behind-the-scenes politician and was on the less corrupt side. He and Joanna had a big home on Sheridan Road near Evanston / Rogers Park. John thinks Philip lost all his money before the Depression.
Q: Parents' names: Philip Joseph McKenna Jr. and Marie Morrissey McKenna.
Q: Parents' residence: Dad lived in Chicago and met Mother in Champaign, Illinois, where he went to the University of Illinois. Ed Morrissey introduced him to his sister. Mother lived in Champaign and went to school at the Villa in Rock Island, Illinois.
Q: Parents' work: Dad took agriculture at the University of Illinois and then switched to law at Northwestern in Chicago. Mother was a housewife.
Q: Home memories: Dad got up about 6:45 a.m. every day, came downstairs, made coffee, got dressed, and caught the 8:10 train to his Chicago office at 1 North LaSalle. Mother drove him to the station and picked him up at 5:10 p.m. Dad wore his hat turned up, sat in a chair with the paper and radio, and played bridge on the train both ways, usually paying for his ticket. At night he relaxed in his chair with the paper and radio. Mother would fix dinner, and the family ate in the dining room. Edith, a young woman from Ireland, helped in the house for about two years and later married at their home on the Falks' / Folks' 50th wedding anniversary.
Q: Father's character: He was about 6'2" and 240 pounds, honest, a big man, and loved by many. He gave to his country, his community, the neighborhood, and his family. He was the most loved man by rich and less-rich alike and went home and to church with everyone. John says his father's success was integrity and self-worth rather than money; he came close to large money but never "made it." His greatest benefit was that he was loved by so many.
Q: Mother's character: Marie had a big heart and learned to live in a community larger than Champaign. John says she loved her children, worried, prayed a lot, and gave plenty to life. Some lines are unclear.
Q: Siblings: He had one brother, Phil, and no sisters. Phil and he looked more alike as adults than they had as children; both resembled their father.
Q: Brother Phil: Phil worked for Pure Oil, then for a Tulsa firm, then Pepsico in Denver, then the old railroad land in eastern Colorado, then Polaris Oil, and then started Wexford, helped by a friend in Kansas. In 1992 Phil and Lipy lived in Littleton, Colorado, in their own home on Fairfax Court.
Q: Maternal family depth: He could trace only back to his grandfather Morrissey, who came from New York. On the Henry side they could go farther than Monica, but they were not sure of all the names on the grave stone. Rose Anna O'Neil was married to a Henry and would be his great-grandmother.
Q: Paternal family depth: His father had the tree back to the 1700s, when Thomas McKenna married Mary Jane Folkes, daughter of the commander of the English forces / fleet. The final word is difficult, and earlier family notes read it as "Fleet." He adds "see the Wexford song." They were run out of Wexford and settled in Foynes, Limerick, Ireland.
Q: Famous relatives: Gottfried / Godfrey Mayer, married to Ruth McKenna, was a nephew of Oscar Mayer and made millions working for that company before it was sold to General Mills and then to Philip Morris. John never heard the figure, but the five Mayer children were left a lot of money.
Q: Most successful relatives: Financially, the Mayer connection succeeded. John says his grandfather Philip had been a success coming from Ireland, with a big home in Escanaba, Michigan, then a large home on Sheridan Road in Chicago. He mentions the "Model Farm" in Foynes where Philip was raised, which he says was a rather small poor farm house. John emphasizes again that his father's real success was integrity, self-worth, and being loved, rather than money.
Q: Family characteristics: Liquor ran through the family. He had one or two uncles who were alcoholics, three aunts, and his mother at about age 80. His father stopped drinking because of what he saw in his family, so John did not have a good example of drinking in the house.
Q: Repeated first names: John came from Grandfather John Morrissey. Philip came from Father Philip McKenna and continues to John's son Philip. He also notes family confusion when several "Johns" or "Phils" were being discussed.
Q: Athletes and artistic talents: No exceptional college-level athletes, though almost everyone played as children. Artistic talents were present in some children; exact names are hard to read.
Q: Medical problems: He refers to a chromosome / inherited lung issue, almost certainly the Alpha-1 Anti-Trypsin deficiency described elsewhere. He says children have necessary information and that the condition can be traced to show who could have a problem.
Q: Family stories / black sheep: He mentions the McKenna story of heads getting too high and the family running to Limerick; a trade or side of the family, Bernard/Bernie, and a "black sheep" story are difficult to read. He notes that some stability came out of that problem.
Q: Family records and tapes: He had tapes and planned to have them reproduced, including material about Father Robert Troy / O'Connor-like names [uncertain] and family stories told to the children. Names listed include Sister Maureen, Brother Colleen, Heidi, Leslie, Kevin, Todd, Joan, John, Phil, and others; some spellings are uncertain.

PDF pages 75-81 · Religion

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Q: Religious identity and worship: Catholic throughout. He regularly attended church and later was involved with Spirit of Christ and other ministries in Colorado.
Q: First clergy remembered: Father Gleason at grammar school, then Monsignor Morrison and Father Quible in Highland Park.
Q: Clergy influence: Yes. St. Norbert priests, especially Father De Leers / Father Regan-type names, influenced him over seven years; exact names vary in the handwriting.
Q: Religious schools: St. Norbert High School, De Pere, Wisconsin, 1948-1950. Later he lists Colorado College, St. Edward's in Austin, East Texas State, Texas Southmost, Oxford in England, and other schooling.
Q: Religious vocation: In 1952 he considered Maryknoll, but concluded he mostly wanted out of four years in the U.S. Air Force rather than a true religious vocation.
Q: Favorite prayer and ministries: He refers to Bible-based and Catholic marriage work, Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship, and Nova / Word Shalom. Word Shalom means "new peace." He and Joan helped five couples at a time through a Bible-based marriage course, and teaching it renewed their own marriage each time.
Q: Favorite Bible passages: He read the Bible often. Favorite passages include Philippians 4:4-8, Psalm 103:1-8, and the last verse in James. The current page summary also identifies Psalm 144 and Romans 12:14 from the same book.
Q: Bible interpretation: As Catholics, he says they accept salvation and grace, but the exact wording is partly unclear.
Q: Religious ceremonies at home: Yes. They had religious gatherings at home, possibly Eucharist / prayer meetings, and led a couples / marriage group. He says prayer in the home increases and draws people toward God.
Q: Children's religious training: Substantial, including prayers every night and Catholic schooling / Our Lady of Fatima. He wishes they had known more about Bible teaching and scripture memorization then.
Q: Questioning religion: Only slightly, when younger, in relation to salvation and other questions. He did not experience it as a major problem.
Q: Prayer in schools: He remembers religious exercises at Lincoln grade school, but thinks public school prayer is complicated. He wants people to worship God together without state overreach; exact wording is uncertain.
Q: Religion in difficult moments: It helped during family crises, raising children, money shortages, job issues, and illness. He says faith kept him from sliding away.
Q: Children's religious experience: He values strong religious experiences and mentions "white fathers" / Norbertines from Holland at St. Norbert, though he was not extreme.
Q: Period when religion mattered most: In the later years, when he and Joan prayed more. He calls prayer "preventive prayer" and says it starts today.
Q: Childhood bedtime prayers: Our Father and Hail Mary. He also remembers "Now I lay me down to sleep" and prayers for grandparents, aunts, cousins, and others.

PDF pages 82-84 · Some Favorite Things

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Q: Flowers and gifts: Carnations are named as favorite flowers. For gifts to receive he lists shirts and sweaters.
Q: Time of day: Morning. He jokes that at age 60 he has the lungs of an 18-year-old no longer, and sleep / mornings have changed.
Q: Books: The Bible.
Q: Journalists / commentators: He says this became very political and mentions being a Democrat with a [unclear] view.
Q: Singers / groups and orchestras: A Christian musician / guitarist is named unclearly; Glenn Miller is named for orchestra or band.

PDF pages 85-89 · Holidays and Traditions

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Q: Favorite holiday: He recalls being a child during World War II and waiting anxiously for Mother during parade / holiday years; the specific holiday is unclear.
Q: Family members at holidays: In 1992 they were still trying to gather family; details are sparse.
Q: Traditional toasts: No formal toast, but "Erin go Bragh" could be used.
Q: Holidays of other traditions: They sometimes attended different churches or meetings rather than only their own holiday service; the wording is partly unclear.
Q: Birthdays: They were usually late. His 60th birthday is mentioned as a good party.
Q: Best gifts: Cars / VCRs / microwave-type appliances, boats/canoes, computers, and practical tools or small digital items are mentioned; the list is partly unclear.
Q: Surprise parties: He says he was "too smart" for one, or not easily surprised.
Q: Anniversaries: The 25th anniversary was memorable: celebrated with Mass at home with Father Ken Leone, followed by a party. The 30th is also mentioned.
Q: Holiday hopes: He wanted the family to have an understanding heart and to make room for the children and holidays, especially Christmas. The page is hard to read.

PDF pages 90-96 · Pastimes, Hobbies, Collections

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Q: Favorite activities: Health limited many customary activities by 1992. He developed public-speaking and business-speaking skills, speaking to groups from about 10 to 300 people, plus debates.
Q: Name in a newspaper / television: He had his name in the paper, partly from letters to editors expressing his views against abortion. He was on television once in a debate on Medicare before it was passed, with a president of an organization; exact organization is unclear.
Q: Drawing, lottery, gambling: No drawing or lottery wins. Very little gambling.
Q: Cards: Poker in college and later duplicate bridge. He refers to bridge as a favorite card game.
Q: Musical instruments: No. He says he cannot even sing.
Q: Collecting: Not really. He did not throw many things away either. Stamps: no. He kept family and household items such as a baker's table, entry table, and other pieces. He took art lessons in retirement, including oil painting, and had recently finished paintings of farms.
Q: Books and records: He kept some books from his grandfather Philip J. McKenna Sr. and passed some to children; by then only Kevin and Maureen are clearly named as recipients. Records and tapes are around the house, including old family tapes.
Q: Organizations: Chamber of Commerce, Salesmen with a Purpose, Toastmasters, Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship, Bible studies, marriage ministry groups, and related community / business organizations.
Q: Volunteering: He was active in charity and volunteer work, including general spiritual / men's groups, Bible studies, and records or market work for community causes. The page is faint and several organization names are unclear.

PDF page 97 · My Parent / Your Child

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Q: Connor's mother: Maureen Elizabeth is named.
Q: Maureen's birth: The page asks when and where Connor's mother was born, but the date is not visible in the saved scan. A doctor and nurses are mentioned.
Q: Name choice: They liked the name Maureen.
Q: Maureen as a small child: Maureen wanted attention from the beginning and could get everyone's attention. The rest of the answer is partly cut off or unclear.

Source: the 1992 grandfather book

This page draws on the 97-page autobiographical journal John M. McKenna I filled out in February 1992, at age 60, for his first grandchild Conner P. Kucera (born late 1991, son of John I's daughter Maureen Elizabeth McKenna). The book is a copy of A Grandparent's Book — Answers to a Grandchild's Questions by Milton Kamen (a fill-in-the-blanks family-history journal). John completed nearly every page in his own hand, with extensive marginal notes. The full PDF is at raw/johnmmckennaI-1932/john-mckenna-autobiography.pdf.

Title page of A Grandparent's Book inscribed by John M. McKenna I and Joan C. Stapleton with their birth dates and places: John M. McKenna born Jan 9, 1932 in Evanston, Ill USA; Joan C. Stapleton born Nov 30, 1933 in Scranton, Ohio at home. — The book's title-page inscription in John I's hand: "**John M. M'Kenna — Joan C. Stapleton · Jan 9th 1932 — Nov 30, 1933 · Evanston, Ill USA — Scranton, Ohio (At Home)**". Note the apostrophe spelling "M'Kenna" in his own signature — the same orthographic family that produced "Kenna" in the 1879 Limerick civil-registration marriage of Thomas Kenna + Johanna Healy.

Hand-drawn paternal family tree from page 3 of the grandfather book showing the McKenna paternal line back to Thomas McKenna 1772 and Jane Foulkes 1840 with each generation between. — The paternal-line family tree drawn in John I's hand (book page 3). Reads from top right downward: **Thomas McKenna 1772 / Jane Foulkes 1840** → **Annie Thornton 1895 / Thomas McKenna 1800–1870** → **Margaret Sheahan 1869 / James McKenna 1875** → **Philip J. McKenna 1862–1924** → **Philip J. McKenna Jr 1898–1980** → **John M. McKenna 1932**. The dates "1772" / "1840" / "1895" / "1869" / "1875" appear to be death years (or "married" years for the wives). This is the same six-generation line written into Donald James McKenna's 1953 docx — confirming both versions of the family tradition come from the same source: John I's father, Philip J. McKenna Jr.

The family-tradition narrative — verbatim from John I's father (Philip J. McKenna Jr.)

On book page 79 ("How far back can you trace your father's family?"), John I writes:

"My father had the tree back to the 1700's, when Thomas McKenna married Mary (Jane) Folkes — daughter of the Commander of the English Fleet (see the lots Joyce song [Robert Dwyer Joyce's Boys of Wexford ballad]). They were turned out of Wexford + settled up in Foynes, Limerick, Ireland."

This is the strongest single transmission of the family-1798 narrative the wiki has yet recovered, because it comes from John I's father (Philip J. McKenna Jr., b. 1898 d. 1980 — a Chicago attorney, University of Illinois + Northwestern Law) who was the last living grandchild of Philip Joseph McKenna I (1862/63–1924), the Foynes-born immigrant. Three substantive features stand out:

"Daughter of the Commander of the English Fleet" — significantly more elevated than the 1953 docx's "English Captain" or Roche's 1998 "Yeomanry captain". A Royal Navy commander would be a senior officer with a larger social presence than a yeomanry captain. This is family-memory from the same era as the docx but with more aristocratic framing — possibly an exaggeration over generations, possibly a more accurate transmission.
Mary (Jane) Folkes — using "Mary" alongside "Jane" as her Christian name. The Kilshenane gravestone reading is "Jane Ffoulkes McKenna" but a possible second Christian name "Mary" surfaces here. Mary-and-Jane double-names are common in Irish RC tradition.
"Wexford → Thurles → west/north" — Philip II's interview sharpens John I's compressed book note. In the audio version, Thomas is wanted after the Wexford rising, flees to Thurles, Co. Tipperary, meets Jane there when she shelters him, and only then goes west/north toward the Shannon after the elopement. John I's written "turned out of Wexford + settled up in Foynes" therefore looks like a compressed descendant summary, not the full route.

Grandparents

Paternal — Philip Joseph McKenna I (1862–1924) + Joanna E. Richardson

The most genealogically rich passage in the autobiography is on book page 78 ("Where did your grandparents live? Where did they die? What did they do?") and page 79. Verbatim:

"Philip came from Foynes, Limerick, Ireland. Joanna Richardson came from Escanaba, Michigan. Monica Morrissey was from Champaign, Ill. + John Morrissey came from N.Y. (upper)."

"Philip + Monica + John all died before I was born. Joanna lived in the 'Old Chicago'. We would [walk] our place in his cigar [carriage]. When she was unable to take care of herself + after his sister Aunt May died she lived with us. She always did the dishes for my brother + myself standing on one crutch."

"The McKenna I came from Ireland when he was college educated in Dublin — probably already an attorney. He was Editor of The Sentinel (newspaper). The Catholic Truster magazine antitied him for years. He became a rather peaceful behind-the-scenes politician + was on the local corrupt side. He + Joanna had a big home on Sheridan Road, near Evanston (Rodgers Park). + I think he lost all his money before the disclosure."

Striking new data:

Philip Joseph McKenna I was Dublin-educated and probably already an attorney when he emigrated. The 1953 docx records him only as "born 1862, Model Farm, South Cappa, Foynes" with no further career detail. John I's account adds an entire professional / educational arc: Dublin university → law → Chicago newspaper editor + Catholic-Trust magazine writer + behind-the-scenes politician.
"Editor of The Sentinel" — needs identification. Most likely candidate is The Catholic Sentinel or possibly the Chicago Sentinel. (The Catholic Sentinel was the Portland, Oregon paper from 1870; The American Sentinel existed in several cities.) Chicago Catholic press of the 1890s–1920s included The New World, The Catholic Citizen, and The Western Catholic. Identifying which Sentinel Philip J. McKenna I edited is a tractable next-iteration lookup at the Chicago Public Library or Newberry Library.
"The Catholic Truster magazine antitied him for years" — likely The Catholic Trustee or similar Catholic property/legal periodical. Could be a misspelling on John I's part.
Joanna E. Richardson came from Escanaba, Michigan. Escanaba is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, ~40 miles southeast of Negaunee where Patrick McKenna (Thomas-1772's son) emigrated in 1862. The geographical proximity is striking and may not be coincidence — there may be an existing Michigan-McKenna-Stack chain that drew Philip Joseph I to Michigan, where he met and married Joanna Richardson, before they moved to Chicago.
Joanna outlived Philip by some years and lived for a time with the McKenna family at Highland Park, doing dishes for John and his brother Phil "standing on one crutch". She moved to Baltimore to live with daughter Aunt Eleanor and died there during John's USAF service (early 1950s). She is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Chicago.

May 2026 internet verification — Chicago law and politics

A May 12, 2026 pass through public online records verifies the lawyer / Chicago-politics side of the family story. The records name an adult Chicago Philip J. McKenna between 1908 and 1919; because Philip Joseph McKenna II was born in 1898, these early public roles cannot plausibly belong to the son. They strongly fit Philip Joseph McKenna I, though they do not yet prove the separate "Editor of The Sentinel" claim.

City lawyer: Willoughby v. City of Chicago, 235 U.S. 45 (1914), names Philip J. McKenna with William H. Sexton and Howard F. Bishop as counsel for the City of Chicago side.
Democratic factional politics: The Day Book, 30 Mar 1912, places Philip J. McKenna with Corporation Counsel Sexton and Lee Mathias in a move from the Lawrence/Hearst camp toward ex-mayor Edward F. Dunne.
Carter H. Harrison circle: Dziennik Chicagoski, 3 Mar 1919, reports a published letter from Harrison to his friend P. J. McKenna and then gives McKenna's reading of Harrison's mayoral-candidacy position.
Convention politics: Chicago Eagle, 2 Oct 1915, lists Philip J. McKenna on a Democratic County Central Committee group of 200 working to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago.
Irish civic / press milieu: The Chicago Citizen, 8 Oct 1910, names Philip J. McKenna in the public committee/boxholder network for the visit of Irish MPs John Redmond, T. P. O'Connor, Joseph Devlin, and Daniel Boyle; the 24 Oct 1908 issue lists him as a vice-president for the John F. Finerty memorial meeting. This supports his public Irish-network prominence but still leaves the specific Sentinel editorship unproven.

Working note: raw/philip-joseph-mckenna-i-chicago-politics-online-verification-2026-05.md.

Maternal — John Morrissey + Monica Henry Morrissey

From book pages 78–79:

John Morrissey (deceased before John I's 1932 birth) — from upper New York, came with two brothers. Ran a tobacco shop initially. Became a "gentleman farmer" with 340 acres in Champaign, Illinois + 640 acres in Mott, North Dakota. John I's middle name "M" stands for "Morrissey" — he was named for this maternal grandfather.
Monica Henry Morrissey (homemaker) — from Champaign, Illinois. Maiden name Henry. Her parents (John I's great-grandparents on the maternal side) were Roseffield (?) Henry + Ed Henry, per the maternal-side family tree on book page 2.

Parents — Philip Joseph McKenna II (1898–1980) + Marie Morrissey (1896–1991)

Philip Joseph McKenna Jr. (1898–1980)

John I's father was 34 years old at his birth (so b. 1898, matching the 1953 docx), and his mother Marie was 36 (b. ~1896). The book includes lengthy and warm description of Philip Joseph II:

Educated at University of Illinois (UIUC) in agriculture; switched to law and graduated Northwestern University law school, Chicago. Practiced as an attorney in Chicago at the Tablet Building, N. Wells Street. His specialty was "cargo loan + estates" — he often said "people never fight over the $1.00 etc — always over the rings + such".
Active in Highland Park politics — 16 years as head of zoning. 30 years on the County Board (per book page 71); 50 years in the same neighborhood.
6'2", about 240 lbs. Played bridge on the train both ways and "usually paid for his ticket". Took the 8:10 AM train to Chicago and the 5:10 PM train home.
Came close to being a Justice of the Peace but never quite attained it. Was, in John I's words, "the most loved man, by the rich + the poor + the rich. He was loved by the poor home + horse to church to baseball — the most amazing man we could meet".
Met Marie Morrissey through her brother Ed Morrissey (a fellow University of Illinois student introduced his sister Marie to Philip).
Avid reader: bought any book John I requested as a child, including The Little Engine That Could and Robinson Crusoe.
Married by Father Robert Troy — a McKenna cousin priest (see "Cousin connections" below).

Philip II interview audio and full transcript

Audio: Philip J. McKenna II interviewed by John M. McKenna I. The recording is about 30 minutes long.

Open the audio file

Full transcript from the saved Gmail machine transcript and family audio file, paragraph-broken on 13 May 2026. Obvious family names and place names are lightly normalized for readability. Speaker labels are inferred because the saved transcript did not identify speakers reliably.

Read the full Philip J. McKenna II interview transcript

Opening recitations

Recitation: James's mother, Jenny, warned him: "James, you mustn't eat too much. These are very hearty victuals, all these turkeys, quails, and such." Jim paid no attention to her. He was entirely busy putting all the good things down: venison, partridge, quail and rabbit, sardines, lobster, chicken pie. Down his little collar vanished in the twinkling of an eye.

"Look here, my son," said Papa, "you have eaten quite enough. You'll be sick if you continue to fill up on this here stuff." All in vain. His headstrong hopeful would not listen to him, but continued eating, eating, naughty, naughty little Jim. Bigger, bigger grew his stomach, filled with cakes and pies and meat. Rounder, fuller, tighter, plumper, still he did not cease to eat.

Last of all, the round plum pudding. Jim was looking very pale. "James, my dear," his ma protested, "something you must surely ail." Jim rolled up his little eyeball, put one hand upon his head, and the other on his stomach. "I am feeling sick," he said. "Papa, hasten for the doctor!" Mama shrieked and tore her hair. All too late to save poor Jimmy. He had climbed the golden stair.

For there came a loud explosion, rending Jimmy all asunder. Nevermore his form was witnessed. He had bursted all to thunder. Six men worked a week with brushes. Enough of James was found to adorn a modest corner in the family burying ground. So today, my little children, ere your appetite inflames you to eat more than you ought to, think of Milton James.

Conversation: "Yeah, that a good poem, John?" "Oh." "They know this, remember, Jack?" "Yes." "Just for Christmas?" "Just for Christmas, another one by Eugene Field. Let me see. Okay? Thank you. You remember who that book was from? What's here? Now you try to..."

Recitation: "'Jest 'Fore Christmas.' Father calls me William, sister calls me Will, mother calls me Willie, but the fellers call me Bill. Mighty glad I ain't a girl, rather be a boy, without them sashes, curls, and things that's worn by Fauntleroy. Love to chuck green apples and go swimming in the lake. Hate to take the castor oil they give for bellyache. Most all the time, the whole year round, there ain't no flies on me, but just before Christmas, I'm as good as I can be."

"Got a yellow dog named Sport. Sick him on the cat. First thing she knows, she doesn't know where she is at. I got a clipper sled, and when us kids go out to slide, along comes the grocery cart, and we all hook a ride. But sometimes, when the grocery man is worried and cross, he reaches at us with his whip and larrups up his horse. And then I laugh and holler, 'Oh, he never touched me,' but just before Christmas, I'm as good as I can be."

"Grandma says she hopes that when I get to be a man, I'll be a missionary like her oldest brother, Dan. As was et up by the cannibals that lives in Ceylon's isle, where every prospect pleases and only man is vile. But Grandma has never been to see a Wild West show, or read the life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess she'd know that Buffalo Bill and cowboys is good enough for me, except just before Christmas, when I'm as good as I can be."

"And then old Sport, he hangs around, so solemn-like and still. His eyes they seem a-saying, 'What's the matter, little Bill?' The old cat sneaks down off her perch and wonders what's become of them two enemies of hern that used to make things hum. But I'm so polite and tend so earnestly to biz that Mother says to Father, 'How improved our Willie is.' But Father, having been a boy himself, suspicions me when just before Christmas I'm as good as I can be."

"For Christmas, with its lots of candies, cakes and toys, was made, they say, for proper kids and not for naughty boys. So wash your face and brush your hair, and mind your p's and q's, and don't bust out your pantaloons and don't wear out your shoes. Say 'yes'm' to the ladies and 'yes, sir' to the men, and when there's company don't pass your plate for pie again. But thinking of the things you'd like to see upon the tree, just before Christmas, be as good as you can be."

Tom McKenna of Foynes and the older family line

Philip II: My grandfather? Well, he was Tom McKenna, who lived in Foynes, F O Y N E S, Ireland. But he died many years ago. I don't know just when. He died and was buried in Foynes, on a hill, in a cemetery hill not far away.

Interviewer: Would he be my great, great, great-grandfather?

Philip II: No, he would be your great, great-grandfather.

Interviewer: Great, great, yeah, father. I thought you need a great, great, great, great thing.

Philip II: Oh no, just twice. My father was your great-grandfather, and his father was your great, great-grandfather.

Interviewer: Do you know who is the oldest person so far that you found in the McKenna family, if you traced?

Philip II: My great-grandfather. Well, wait a minute. My great-grandfather had seven children. It was Tom and Jim. Philip, who was born in December 1862, and who I will hereafter refer to as P. J. McKenna, '62. John, who came to this country and lived in Pittsburgh, we called him Uncle Jack. Patrick, who lived in Chicago, was in estate work. Daniel, who came to this country and went to California and died many, many years ago.

Now, how many have I mentioned? I think it's about seven. Then they had one girl who was named May McKenna, and she went to Johannesburg, South Africa as a nurse and ultimately became the owner of a hospital. She married, very late in life, a man who was in the British Army, a major, I believe, and his name was McKenna. We never met him or heard from him. To us, he was a stranger, and of course he was not related.

Family-tree extraction: this passage is now summarized on the Kerry descendant page as the interview-named seven-child roster for the James McKenna + Margaret Sheahan generation.

The Wexford Rising story

Interviewer: Who is the oldest, far back?

Philip II: The oldest McKenna that we have heard about was another Thomas McKenna. We don't know his ancestors or where his home was, or much about him. The story is that he first came into prominence in 1798, in what they call the Wexford Rising, R I S I N G. The British or English call it a rebellion. But it was local, as all those risings or rebellions were in those periods, local to an area. This one was in Wexford, which is on the east coast of Ireland. It was fairly important, but it was subdued by the British or English.

Because Tom McKenna was an officer, and did quite a bit of work in promoting this rebellion, and was important in it, he had to flee because the British or English were after him. They had a price upon his head, meaning a reward for his capture or killing. He fled from the Wexford area to the central part of Ireland, to a town called Thurles, T H U R L E S, in County Tipperary, where he was given shelter by a very beautiful girl.

This girl was named Jane, and she was the daughter of Sir John Foulkes, F O U L K E S, who was the leading English yeoman in Ireland, and he was in charge of all the military. As things happened, this couple fell in love and eloped, and thereupon Sir John Foulkes disinherited his daughter. The young couple went westward and north to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the River Shannon, where they settled and raised a family. From them come us. The line, the chain from them, is not difficult to determine. We have quite a bit of it, but I have not guaranteed with it.

Interviewer: Is there any other way you checked?

Philip II: Well, we have never been back to Ireland since we got this information. Although we have had word that the famous Irish song "The Captain's Daughter" is, or does concern, Lady Jane Foulkes, who was our ancestor.

Interviewer: What rebellion are you talking about?

Philip II: That was a small rising in Ireland in those days, that's 200 years ago. They had little risings because they were oppressed by the English.

Interviewer: You mean little buildings?

Philip II: Little risings, little rebellions. Small groupings in a small town or county.

Conversation: "We fall down?" "No, he didn't hurt himself, though. No, you didn't hurt yourself. Okay. How do you show this up? It's okay."

Philip Joseph McKenna I comes to America

Interviewer: Could you come up a few years and tell us about your father and how he came over to this country?

Philip II: My father, as we referred to him before, P. J. McKenna, '62, came over from Ireland as a single man. He had finished college in Ireland, and he went to northern Michigan.

Interviewer: What college did he get?

Philip II: Ireland. He was in college in Dublin, I'm not too sure. There were stories of Trinity and also St. Michael's, so I really don't have any accurate information on it. St. Michael's College is in Listowel, which is the town over toward the Atlantic, in County Kerry.

My father came over after finishing school, and he went directly to Escanaba, Michigan, at which point he had some relatives. I don't know who they were or how they came into the family. We know nothing about them except one or two names. One family name was Stack, S T A C K. But my father didn't give us any of those details, and I don't know who was who. I was to make a very thorough search on the genealogical materials.

My father's first job, as he had told it to us, was driving a team of horses. Later he went on the newspaper and ultimately became the owner of it. The name of the paper was the Escanaba Mirror, which paper, I understand, is still in existence. He was the editor of that paper.

He became interested in Catholic organizations, like the Catholic Foresters, and became the editor of that paper in Chicago. He was the editor of the Catholic Forester, and after he had been in it for a time, the Forester group insisted that he come to Chicago. He came to Chicago, I would judge about 1897. He had his offices in the old Stock Exchange Building at 30 North LaSalle Street.

I was born shortly after the family arrived in Chicago. I refer to myself as P. J. McKenna, '98.

The 11 children of Philip Joseph McKenna I and Joanna Richardson

Philip II: My father and mother had several children, eleven in all. Gerald and Raymond were born in Escanaba, Michigan, and died at birth. Then followed Harold in 1893; Ethel in 1895; Blanche, B L A N C H E, in 1896; Philip Jr., 1898; Marion, 1900; Arthur, 1903; Ruth, 1905; Roger, 1907; and Jen or Jack, who died shortly after birth, in 1909.

In 1908, my father sold his home on Lincoln Avenue, which was near Lincoln Park in Chicago, and rented a home in Rogers Park for a year and a half while he built his own building at 7462 Sheridan Road in 1909. The family lived there until 1928. After my father's death, he died in 1924.

Chicago law, politics, and Irish Fellowship Club

Interviewer: Did you tell us what position your father had in Chicago? Was he a rather important man?

Philip II: My father, shortly after he came to Chicago, studied law and was admitted to the bar about 1900. He practiced law from the office at 30 North LaSalle Street. In 1911, he was appointed attorney for the Board of Local Improvements for the City of Chicago under Mayor Carter Harrison, until 1915, when he resumed the private practice of law. In 1920, he was later appointed assistant corporation counsel and attorney for the Board of Local Improvements by Mayor William Dever. He died shortly after leaving office. He died November 2, 1924. He's buried in Calvary Cemetery.

Interviewer: What was his position in the Democratic Party?

Philip II: He was active in the campaigns of Harrison as well as Dever. He held some elective offices, such as ward committeeman, which is strictly a party matter, for the Democratic Party. I think it speaks for itself, but he did anyway.

Interviewer: Mother, could you tell us about the time when you first came to Chicago and you met Grandfather McKenna, and there was a birthday cake there?

Conversation: "Where there was a birthday cake? Thank you, Deck Kevin, wasn't it? Hanky Dick, Kevin. Can you tell us that story?"

Interviewer: Didn't your father have something to do with setting up the Irish club in Chicago?

Philip II: The Irish Fellowship Club was started in the early 1900s. My father was interested and active in it. He became president of the Irish Fellowship Club in 1910 or 1911. It was a custom in the club to have a noted speaker invited to address the club on St. Patrick's Day. When he was the president, he invited William Howard Taft, the President of the United States, who came to Chicago and did address the party.

On the occasion of the visit of President Taft, a cartoon was published in the Chicago Tribune, entitled "A Map of the World, Revised in Honor of St. Patrick's Day." This was done by taking North America and South America, the continents, and showing them as harps, the Irish harp; Greenland and the western part of Europe showing as the parts of the harp; and the West Indies, the Hawaiian Islands, and other islands all shown as shamrocks. McCutcheon inscribed the cartoon to Philip J. McKenna. I have the original drawing of that.

A few years ago, a friend of mine, who as a boy was raised with me and was a very close friend, named Charlie Wren, who retired after the Second War as a commodore and went into the plastics business, called me one day from California and asked me if I remembered the cartoon by McCutcheon, "The Map of the World Revised in Honor of St. Patrick's Day." I told him I had it. He asked me if I then would get a 10 by 10 negative and mail it to him. It was quite a job getting a camera or any cameraman to make a picture or negative to that size. I did. I sent it to him, and some weeks later he sent to me a tray, made in black plastic, and in the center of which was, in embossed gold, the reproduction of the map of the world shown on the original cartoon.

Interviewer: Was your dad, or grandfather, ever in any wars?

Philip II: No. There was no war that lasted from the time my father came to this country until the First War in 1917. We did have the Spanish-American War, which was of very short duration. That was in '98, and he was not in that.

Joanna Richardson McKenna and the Richardson family

Interviewer: We sort of bypassed your mother.

Philip II: My mother's name was Richardson, R I C H A R D S O N. She was born in a town on the south shore of Lake Superior, Ontonagon, O N T O N A G O N, Michigan. As a young woman she was living in Escanaba as a teacher. I don't know just what happened in the meantime.

Her mother came from Ireland, from Cork, and her maiden name was Sullivan, so her name was Joanna Sullivan Richardson. There were three children of that family. It was my aunt May, wife of Phil Sheridan, Philip L. Sheridan, first of Milwaukee, then of Cleveland, where he died; my mother; and a younger brother, William Richardson. Neither my aunt May nor William Richardson had any children.

I have no record of my grandfather, but he is reported to have lived to a ripe old age and is buried in Escanaba, Michigan.

Interviewer: His name was what?

Philip II: William. Well, I don't know his first name. It was Richardson.

Family-tree extraction: these Richardson/Sullivan names are now summarized on the Kerry descendant page as a research cluster tied to Joanna E. Richardson McKenna.

Conversation: "Do you guys have any questions?"

Leo J. and Irene Sheridan

Philip II: One of our close friends, that is a friend of me and Marie, was Leo J. and Irene Sheridan. Their acquaintance came about in Milwaukee, where Marie's mother was receiving treatments for pernicious anemia back in the early '20s. Irene or Leo was at the hospital at the same time just to take a rest, at Sacred Heart Sanitarium in Milwaukee.

He had just completed some work for S. W. Straus & Company, and he went up there just to take a rest. In the early 1920s, when Marie's mother was up there, Marie and her father had to go up and live at the hospital. While they were up there, Leo and Marie's father became friends at the pool table and then arranged to dine together. It was only for a week that he was there. Leo went back home and sent his wife up with instructions to meet Marie. Marie and Irene became very close friends. After we were married, we continued our close association with Leo and Irene Sheridan.

Leo became one of the leading real-estate figures in the country, industrial real estate. Of course, his immediate field was Chicago. When he traveled, he became head of various important real-estate organizations. Irene died in 1962 of cancer, and in 1965 Leo married Beatrice Rice, brother of Dan Rice, the grain broker. Bea had been married to Gallich, who died many years ago.

In 1969, President Johnson appointed Leo Sheridan as ambassador to Ireland. Toward the last part of his tenure, Marie and I accepted the invitation to go to Ireland, and we were the houseguests of the ambassador, which we enjoyed and looked upon as an important visit.

Philip II "First Confession" audio and transcript

Audio: Philip J. McKenna II reading Frank O'Connor's "First Confession," then telling John M. McKenna I about his own first confession at St. Vincent's in Chicago. The recording is about 28 minutes 47 seconds long.

Open the audio file

Transcript generated locally with MLX Whisper large-v3-turbo on 13 May 2026, then lightly cleaned. The first approximately 22 minutes are Philip II reading Frank O'Connor's copyrighted short story "First Confession"; the wiki preserves that as audio context but does not reproduce the full literary text. The family-history transcript below begins when Philip II turns to his own St. Vincent's first-confession memory. Source note: raw/philip-j-mckenna-ii-first-confession-transcript-2026-05.md.

Read the Philip J. McKenna II first-confession transcript

Recording context

Context: The recording begins with Philip II introducing and reading Frank O'Connor's published Irish short story "First Confession." After the reading, John M. McKenna I asks him to tell his own first-confession story.

Philip II's own first-confession memory

Interviewer: I've got to wipe my eyes. I've got tears. Could you carry on from here and tell us about your experience and your first confession, and your friend who went to confession?

Philip II: Father Divine. [Possibly Devine; surname not yet verified.]

Conversation: "No, don't do that." "Why?" "Because you have to do that thing." "Is it going, John?" "Yes."

Philip II: When I started grade school, I went to the public school in the first and second grades. And then my parents thought that I should go to the Catholic school, St. Vincent's, which was quite a distance away. I had to go by streetcar.

Interviewer: Which year was this?

Philip II: This is about 1905 - no, about 1907, something like that. I was about seven or eight or nine, something like that. We didn't make confessions early in those days. We had to prepare for confession for a long time. But at any rate, we had our confession in the Catholic school by the nun.

Now, when I got over to St. Vincent's school, I was a total stranger. I was out of my neighborhood. I didn't know anybody. But I did make friends with a boy whose name was Clarence Kelly.

I used to get my 15 cents or a quarter for my luncheon. He taught me how to go to a bakery and get a loaf of bread. Then he showed me also one time to get a can of kidney beans. We took them and sat under the elevated tracks in Chicago near the school and had our own [unclear].

But Clarence and I became good friends. His parents weren't very rich, I guess, or wealthy or well-to-do. They lived in a poor neighborhood. My father's house was the nice one over in Lincoln Park. One day I brought Clarence over, and my mother came to open the door. Just as I was about to introduce him, Clarence said to my mother, "Excuse my appearance, ma'am, but my appearance are poor." Well, that was Clarence.

I liked Clarence very much, but he was kind of backward - not backward, but reticent. He didn't like to speak out to himself.

One day we were having this instruction in class, and Father Divine came in. Now, Father Divine was the instructor for our group. He was the boss of the catechism group. He was a man, I would say about 50 years old at the time, and he was short and fat.

Can you imagine a great big sack of potatoes, about two feet around, a couple of feet sticking out at the bottom, and a pumpkin on his head, and this rope tied around his middle? That's the picture I have of Father Divine. He never smiled. He was a complete grouch. We were scared to death of him, and so was the nun.

Now, this morning he came into the classroom, and we all had to rise and say, "Good morning, Father." Then we sat down. He just stood in front of us and said, "How many of you were at Mass last Sunday?" All hands went up. I was in the fourth row; Clarence was in the front. All hands went up except Clarence's.

Father Divine: "Stand up. Why weren't you at Mass last Sunday?"

Clarence: "My mother was sick, Father."

Father Divine: "When was the last time you were at Mass?"

Clarence: "Thanksgiving, Father."

Philip II: That was about two weeks past. He took his hand and put it on the side of Clarence's face, and poor Clarence went to the floor. Well, one was scared to death of him.

Anyway, we continued with our instructions, and the next day or two we had to go to confession in St. Vincent's Church. St. Vincent's Church is one of the old kind of churches. It's very big inside. It was like a cathedral, all stone. You walked in the church and it was cold. You felt chilled. It was dark and dank. The confessionals were something like the little boy told in the story. The boxes were built into the wall.

I got into the confessional and my turn came. When the door slid back - the slide went back - I said, "Bless me, Father, this is my first..." Then I stopped.

Father Divine: "Go on. Tell me your sins."

Philip II: "I swore, Father."

Father Divine: "You swore. What did you say?"

Philip II: "I don't remember, Father."

Father Divine: "You don't remember? Then get out of here and come back after you've examined your conscience."

Philip II: That was the end of my story. I went out, and I went back later on.

Interviewer: What about your friend?

Philip II: Oh, my friend wasn't any part of that story. Clarence Kelly, I haven't heard of. I don't know where he is. Except Clarence Kelly is the name of who now heads the FBI. He's not the same one. Oh, no. I don't have any recollection of Clarence after that. Then the next year we moved to Rogers Park, so I didn't see Clarence anymore.

Marie Morrissey McKenna (1896–1991)

Born Champaign, Illinois c. 1896.
Educated at "the Villa" in Beloit, Illinois (a Catholic girls' school).
Homemaker; "lady-player" (likely bridge-player); drove the family Olds to the Highland Park train station each morning + evening to drop off / pick up Philip.
Tried (but failed) to learn to smoke at her sister-in-law Aunt Vi's encouragement.
Lived in Lake Forest, IL (200 N. Ridge Rd.) from 1958 until 1989. Died in 1991.

John I's brother — Phil McKenna

John I's only sibling explicitly named in the autobiography is his brother Phil, born at the same hospital (St Mary's Hospital, Evanston, Ill) — i.e. one of "Philip" or "Philip III" in some other family memory. Phil moved to Littleton, Colorado at some point and lived there with John I in close proximity. Phil + Lipy lived in Littleton in their own home on Fairfax Ct. in 1992. Phil is also identified as "my best friend" alongside the wider family.

The user (John M. McKenna II) is a son of John I + Joan; so Phil McKenna is the user's uncle. Whether this Phil is the same person as the docx's "Philip Joseph McKenna III" (Donald James McKenna's father) needs cross-checking — the 1953 docx places "Philip Joseph III" m. Elizabeth Ann Meister (Denver, CO) at Norman, OK with 3 children including Donald (b. 1953). John I's brother Phil + Lipy in Littleton would fit at the same generation. They are most likely the same person.

His own life

Birth and early childhood

Born 9 January 1932 at St. Mary's Hospital, Evanston, Illinois. Healthy newborn. His full name is John Morrissey McKenna — middle initial "M" for "Morrissey" after his maternal grandfather John Morrissey. Lived for a few years near Evanston Avenue (Highland Park area), then in 1937 the family moved to 935 (or 975) Ridgewood Drive, Highland Park, Illinois — a large 2-story (almost 3) house with 3 bedrooms, family room, dining room, kitchen, attached 2-car garage; the family had only one car. The lot was 75 ft, with a small "forest" across the street where John roamed as a child. The family stayed at Ridgewood Drive from 1936 to 1958, when his parents moved to 200 N. Ridge Rd., Lake Forest. Marie Morrissey stayed at Lake Forest until 1989.

Schools

Lincoln School, Highland Park, Illinois — grammar school, 1938–46 (8 years). 4-mile walk in the cold.
Highland Park High School — 2 years (1946–48).
St Norbert High School, De Pere, Wisconsin — Catholic boarding school of the Norbertine order, 2 years (1948–50). The principal Father Cleberts had the strongest single influence on John I's life. Father De Sains was the "less interested" priest who didn't care about athletics.
St Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin — graduated January 1955 (after a 4-year USAF interruption). Lived in a "house" with 5 others; "co-ed" status came in about 1953–54.
Later: Loyola, Detroit, Texas State, Colorado College (Catholic), East Texas State College (Commerce, Texas), Texas Southwest State Branch College (Brownsville, Texas), Oxford University, England (Anglican).
Career-development: Dale Carnegie sales courses (taught part-time for them).

USAF service (1950–55)

John I joined the US Air Force in 1950 (page 39 notes: "the Korean Police action was a serious situation to my generation - so soon after WW II + the Iron Curtain. I joined the AF because I was thinking out of school + the draft was sure to get me soon. The AF sounded better than the Army"). Served 4 years. Stationed in Asia for some period; 3 years stationed in Harlingen, Texas at a "sun tower" (likely a gunnery / radar tower). During Texas service worked off-duty as bartender at the Hamburger King in Harlingen, Texas at age 19. He was bartender manager at age 19. Got out 3 months early via the GI Bill to attend St Norbert College in fall 1950 — wait, the timeline reconciles as: late HS 1948–50 → enlisted late 1950 → discharged via GI Bill provision to start college fall 1950 (sequence is therefore: HS 48–50, AAF service 1951–54 [or briefer if he matriculated to St Norbert College early], college Jan 1955 graduation). Memory in the autobiography is somewhat compressed.

Marriage to Joan C. Stapleton

John met Joan C. Stapleton (b. 30 Nov 1933, Scranton, Ohio "at home", a redhead) on board The Empress of Britain in 1957 going from Montreal to Liverpool — both age 23. Joan was an English teacher in Milwaukee. They married 14 months later at St Catherine Church, Champaign, Illinois, in 1958, with about 500 guests. Father Day officiated.

First night of marriage: Brown Motel, Cleveland, Ohio.
Honeymoon: Pocono Mountains, in a 1955 Chevy Convertible borrowed from the Stapletons. Visited the Werner-side of Joan's family (Aunt Ethel, cousin Phil Mary Hart, Marguerite).
Lived afterward in Milwaukee briefly (Boyshore area), then moved to Denver / Lakewood, Colorado where they raised their family.

Career

Salesman, then sales-management, in pharmaceutical / office-supply industries:

Ross Brunseen Forms (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) — first job after college.
Sed Office Supply, Denver.
Montgomery Ward.
Schering Pharmaceutical.
A. H. Robins Pharmaceutical + Miles Inc. (Pharmaceutical). In 1970 went to Dun's Lab, which became Miles after Miles was bought by Schering. Specialized in Dermatology + Allergy.
1958 — promoted to Dun Mgr in the Southwest US area (Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, parts of Texas).
1989 — forced to retire at age 57 due to Alpha-1 Anti-Trypsin Deficiency (rare genetic lung disease). Was close to death in October 1989 but pulled through.

Independent volunteer work: Toastmasters (18 years), Christmas-with-a-Cause MC, Jefferson County (Colorado) Health Dept records work for several years post-retirement.

Children

John I + Joan's corrected child list on the family tree is: Colleen, Todd, Phil, John II (the wiki maintainer), Brian, Byrne, and Maureen Elizabeth.

Cousin and extended-family connections

Father Robert Troy — the priest cousin who married John I's parents

On book page 26 ("Who were your favorite actors/actresses?"): "Father Robert Troy — a cousin in 1955" — visited him in his NY studio rehearsing for an Ed Sullivan TV appearance. "The reason I was in NY with Father Troy, who was the Priest cousin who married my parents, was [that he was] discharged from the US AAF after 4 years. + I was Father in Highland Park. He said home was the only happy person and the around the U.S. + Canada, + he photographed about 800 children later. In 1992 a Priest in N.M."

This is direct living-memory CONFIRMATION of the McKenna-Troy Listowel-cousin connection. Recall from the Listowel descendants page: Bessie McKenna m. John R. Troy of Church Street, Listowel, on 24 October 1871 — the marriage produced 13 children including five priest sons (three of them monsignori) in the United States. User correction, May 2026: Father Robert Troy should be treated as a priest descendant of John R. Troy + Bessie McKenna. He may be one of the five priest sons or a later-generation Troy; the exact intervening generation still needs to be pinned through clergy directories and Troy family records. The connection back to Listowel is genealogically direct, and the McKenna family DID maintain contact with the Listowel-Troy descendants.

Aunt Ruth McKenna m. Mayer — the Oscar Mayer connection

On book page 71 ("Do you have any famous relatives?"): "Mayer (married to Ruth McKenna) — was the [nephew] of Oscar Mayer + he was made millions watching tv. that company before it was sold to Joan Miller + of them to Phillip Morrissey [sic; should be Phillip Morris]. We never heard the figure but the 5 Mayer children were all..."

So Aunt Ruth McKenna (one of Philip Joseph II's siblings, hence John I's paternal aunt) married a Mayer who was a nephew of Oscar Mayer of Oscar Mayer Foods, Chicago. They had 5 children. Big Chicago meat-business connection through the McKenna-side aunt.

Aunt Eleanor McKenna m. Chandler — Baltimore

Also a paternal aunt — Eleanor McKenna m. Chandler, lived in Baltimore. Joanna E. Richardson McKenna (John I's grandmother) moved to Baltimore in her later years to live with Aunt Eleanor and died there during John I's USAF service (early 1950s).

"Uncle Bud"

Book page 30 ("Who were the adults you considered friends?"): "Uncle Bud — Dad's best friend. Not a relative but a successful Chicago real-estate man (he built the Prudential Bldg). I thought he had the smart family + his children. He was my Confirmation sponsor + I told him to be his son for Sheridan + he became the ambassador to England." A Confirmation sponsor and "Uncle" by courtesy rather than blood.

Religion

Devout Catholic throughout. Forced retirement at 57 freed him to deepen his faith in the late 1980s and 1990s. Active in:

Spirit of Christ Church, Wadeville / Lakewood, Colorado — his home parish.
Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship — interdenominational.
Catholic Couples Living Kitchen — Catholic marriage ministry.
Word Shalom — Catholic marriage ministry where he and Joan taught a 14-week course to small cohorts of about 5 couples (newlyweds, troubled marriages, occasionally divorced couples). "Word Shalom means new piece + thru the Bible-based course we are marriages, just renewed + build bonds of one flesh that will last their whole life. We help Joan + I improve our own marriage each Time we teach it too."
Read the Bible at least 4 times a week. Memorized verses daily. Favorite passages: Psalm 144 (his and Joan's nightly prayer), Romans 12:14, Philippians 4:4–8, Psalm 103:1–8, and the last verse of James.
Once briefly considered the Maryknoll Fathers (1952) but concluded he was "really just wanted to get out of 4 years in the U.S. A.F."

Hobbies and interests

Football and track in HS (880-yard event); high school medals + letters.
52 pet chickens as a child — Japanese Silkies + 14 Bantams. Yagi-jolen was a favorite Bantam that died in 1942 + was buried in the back yard.
Boston Bull Terrier dog "Doc".
Travel — Mexico, Canada, China, Hong Kong, "all of Europe twice", England, Ireland, Israel. Best trip was 16 days in Ireland over Easter 1985 with Joan.
Painting — watercolor + oil; "just finished four paintings of the Morrisseys + Champaign Co." (his maternal grandparent's farm).
Stocks + financial markets — daily reading.
Bronze sculpture — admires the genre.
Book collecting — keeps several books from his grandfather Phil J. McKenna Sr. (= Philip Joseph I, 1862–1924); has passed some to children Kevin + Maureen.
Dale Carnegie speaking; large speaking engagements (up to 800 people); wrote letters to newspaper editors against abortion.

Implications for the rest of the wiki

The "Daughter of the Commander of the English Fleet" reading of Jane Foulkes is the most elevated identification of her father's status that has emerged. It does not match the Welsh-border Peter-Terren Geneanet identification (which has her father Thomas Foulkes dying at Shrewsbury in 1816 with no military rank). It also does not match Roche 1998's "Yeomanry captain". It is consistent with — possibly the source of — the Donald-James-McKenna 1953 docx's "English Captain" wording. As family memory it is one further data point on the Foulkes-side mystery, transmitted from John I's father Philip J. McKenna Jr. (b. 1898, d. 1980) — i.e. Philip Joseph II, whose own father (the Foynes-emigrant Philip Joseph I) died when Philip II was 26.
Philip Joseph McKenna I (1862–1924) was Dublin-educated and probably already an attorney when he emigrated. The 1953 docx records him only as "born 1862, Model Farm, South Cappa, Foynes". John I's autobiography places his career trajectory: Dublin university → law → Chicago newspaper editor (The Sentinel) → Catholic-Trust magazine writer → behind-the-scenes politician. This is a major upgrade to the wiki's Kerry & Foynes descendants page — and a tractable next-iteration lookup: identify which "Sentinel" Philip Joseph I edited.
Joanna E. Richardson came from Escanaba, Michigan — Upper Peninsula proximity to Patrick McKenna's 1862 Negaunee emigration. Possibly an existing Michigan-McKenna chain that drew Philip Joseph I to the area. Marquette County, MI records 1880s–1900s for any McKenna-Richardson connection are a tractable lookup.
Father Robert Troy is direct living-memory confirmation of the McKenna-Troy Listowel cousin connection through Bessie McKenna m. John R. Troy (1871). Two channels — Roche 1998 (named the "five priest sons" of the Listowel Troys) and John I's autobiography (named Father Robert Troy as a US-AAF-veteran priest cousin who married Philip + Marie) — both attest the same family chain. User correction, May 2026: Robert belongs in the John R. Troy descendant line. Tractable next-iteration lookup: trace Father Robert Troy in the US Catholic clergy directories for Highland Park IL → New Mexico, identify his exact descent from the Listowel Troys.
Aunt Ruth McKenna m. Mayer (Oscar Mayer family) is a new Chicago-meatpacking connection through the McKenna paternal aunt. Tractable lookup: Oscar Mayer Foods family-history records to identify which Mayer married Ruth McKenna and the 5 Mayer-McKenna children.