KINNE, David Amsden
April 11, 1946-February 13, 2024 David Amsden Kinne, a lifelong worker for human rights, died on Tuesday, February 13 while visiting his daughter, Laura Kinne-Pal, and her family in Maui. David was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Sydney Barton Kinne, Jr. and Ellerie Edwards Kinne, a homemaker. He was 77. David graduated from Florida State University with a degree in history and pursued graduate studies in history at the University of Kentucky. An avid reader of American history, David enjoyed connecting today’s news to its origins in American history. While teaching at The Park School, David met his wife, Carol Peacock Kinne, with whom he shared a commitment to racial equity and civil rights.
David’s life reflected three great passions: devotion to his family, a strong work ethic, and advocating for social justice. His daughter, Laura Kinne, recalls his character: “My dad was an honorable man with a gentle soul. Yet he would fight for those who could not fight for themselves.”
David relished annual trips to Maui to visit his daughter, Laura, and her husband, Zoltan Pal, along with their two daughters. He spent summers at Birch Point, Maine.
Sixty-hour work weeks were not unusual for David. After teaching, he worked in development and construction management. He honed his natural skills in construction jobs, never letting the loss of a leg to cancer in his 20’s slow him down.
In 1984, he joined The Manekin Corporation where he worked for 29 years. Donald Manekin, a partner at Manekin and a close friend, describes his work: “David was the first person on site and the last to leave. Whether David oversaw work in Columbia or Virginia, where he would leave Baltimore at 4:30 am to be on the job site, his efforts were tireless. His relationship with subcontractors was unparalleled. To that end, each year David would shuck oysters for the end year party held for all the subcontractors and their employees to celebrate their work.”
Andrew Kinne, his son, noted his father’s dedication and work ethic: “My father was a perfect example of a good man who loved his family and friends. He taught me what it means to overcome life’s challenges with grace.”
David and Carol were champions of civil rights in their actions, words, and giving. He was instrumental in sustaining an innovative civil rights trip through which students and faculty from Park, Baltimore City College, and Baltimore City Neighbors schools fundraise, study, and participate in a trip visiting sites and meeting people who were and are important to the advancement of civil rights.
Traci Wright, Park School’s Upper School Principal, and co-founder of the Civil Rights Trip, noted, “Whether he was booking hotels, sending books to enhance students’ learning, arriving hours early to survey our leaf-raking jobs with donuts and hot cocoa in tow, and working alongside them, David’s support was invaluable.” David volunteered in the community including serving as Board Member and President of Families Adopting Children Everywhere; Board President, The Waldorf School of Maryland; the Governor’s Task Force on Adoption, 1986-87; Leadership Howard County, 1988.
Survivors include a daughter, Laura Kinne-Pal (Zoltan); a son, Andrew David Kinne; granddaughters Jadyn Carbone, Emilia Pal, and Lilliana Pal; Nieces Katherine Ware and Cynthia Lynn Kinne; nephew Sydney Barton “Bart” Kinne, IV. Brothers-in-law Joe Peacock (Masha) and Jon Peacock. A brother, Dr. Sydney Parton Kinne, III, and sister-in-law, Georgia Kinne, pre-deceased him. His wife, Carol Peacock Kinne, died in 2014.
Plans for a memorial service are incomplete.
The family asks that tributes be made to The Park School Civil Rights Trip (https://parkschool.net/giving/ civil-rightsor-trip/) or to the Maui Food Bank (https://mauifoodbank.org/donate/).