Kenneth Dunn

Kenneth Dunn of Chicago passed away gently on October 14, 2024, following a brief period of hospice care. A pioneer and innovator in the domain of source separation recycling and sustainable programming, Ken was born in McPherson, Kansas on November 10, 1942. The second son of Linda (Ewy) and Jasper Dunn, Ken lost his mother to breast cancer when only three years old.  Growing up close to his brother and father on the family farm, he cultivated an affinity and appreciation of the earth. Each family member was designated a role necessary for the success of their day’s work, which instilled in Ken an ethic he maximized in later projects. Ken attended Arlington High School and later Bethel College in North Newton, KS. Upon graduation in 1964, Ken became an early member of the Peace Corps, and was assigned to a post in Brazil. There he applied his know-how of farming and agriculture for entrepreneurial purposes with political exiles living on the outskirts of Brasilia. To avoid suspicion during a time of political upheaval, Ken opted to ride bicycle, rather than drive a vehicle, into the appointed village, reflecting the practical nature of his
Mennonite upbringing and his benevolence toward the community. While in the Peace Corp, Ken contemplated more deeply the teachings of classical philosophy and the human condition. After several years in Brazil, he flew to O’Hare Airport and called home to Kansas. “There’s smog here and I can’t see the stars, he told his sister Kathy. I’m staying until I clear it.”  He entered the University of Chicago graduate program in Philosophy, contemplating the discontent of waste in a consumptive nation. It was the 1970’s. Ken’s strong academic ability and internal drive deepened his capacity as a classical philosopher in a modern era. Understanding mechanics and engine repair, he kept a fleet of VW busses serviceable for rent to the local Hyde Park community. These skills—and a fearlessness to venture forth to test his theories—came together when Ken paired material waste and overlooked human resources in communities surrounding the University of Chicago. Finding a receptive work force, he assembled a version of what grew into the non-profit Resource Center, a model of source separation recycling and sustainability programs. Taken as a whole, these programs illustrated how overlooked material and human resource were matched for the benefit of our environment. Both ahead of his time and old fashioned in his processes, Ken gained traction with Chicago communities where Resource Center subscription and drop-off recycling  centers cropped up. His concern for vacant properties evolved into community gardens which exist to this day. The popular City Farm, a model of land use and organic crop production, is based on compost collected from participating Chicago high-end restaurants. His novel  recycling buy-back program for the City of Chicago Housing Authority brought income to residents who collected cans and bottles in their communities. A bike shop, the Creative Reuse, and other programs which rescued salvageable materials from the waste stream were Ken’s strategies for reducing landfill, fostering work skills, and creating employment. A gifted and moving speaker, Ken was a sought after by Chicago universities, environmental groups, cultural organizations, public and private schools, architecture gatherings, food security summits, Earth Day events and much more. Decades of newspaper and magazines covered his pioneering life, and his innovative approaches to waste recovery and sustainability. Radio and television shows interviewed him on problem solving modern-day environmental dilemmas. Published Books include 1,000 Jobs for Chicago: A Recommendation for Immediate Expansion of Chicago’s Waste Recycling Network. His projects are featured in books: Fields of Plenty; Native to Nowhere; Sustaining Home and Community in a Global Age; Designing America’s Waste Landscapes; Garbage Wars; and Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development. A few of his numerous awards and tributes include: the Sargent Shriver Award for Peace Corps, Newton College Humanitarian
Award, the Chicago Tribune Good Eating Award, Da Vinci Award for Creativity, The University of Chicago Cornell Award, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn’s Environmental Heroes Award, and the Elizabeth Benson Award. Dr. Quinten Young of Cook County Hospital and fellow Hyde Parker described him as “a prophet and a genius” for a Chicago Magazine article, “Somebody Give this Man a Genius Grant” from September 2004. Ken was nominated for a MacArther Genius Award, although no award was forthcoming.  

Ken is preceded in death by his mother Linda Dunn, father Jasper Dunn, sister Linda, and brother James Dunn. Survivors include sister Kathy Dunn and family, brother Donald Dunn and family. Children Eva (Doug) Gordon, Adam Dunn, Elsbeth (Tom) Noga, Soren Dunn and Clement Dunn. Five grandchildren Jade, Jeffrey, Ben, Christina and Stephen. He was deeply loved, and admired by his family. He is also survived by many faithful employees of the non-profit Resource Center who have year after year carried out Ken’s mission. They mourn his passing.  An iconic, kind, and generous neighbor and Chicagoan, many grieve his loss and equally search for ways to express gratitude for his decades of service. Ken Dunn pulled the weight of so many. His remarkable intellect and astonishing life’s work resulted in clearing some of the smog from the Chicago skies. May he rest in peace.

Family and friends extend a special thank you to Journey Care Hospice, whose staff tenderly focused on Ken’s needs during his final weeks. A memorial service is being planned for 2025.
In lieu of flowers: PLANT FLOWERS. Plant gardens. Help clear the smog. Be an agent of Ken’s work to see the stars. Contribute to the Resource Center transition fund for the new incarnation of the non-profit. Donations will help continue this important work and contribute toward necessary up-dates. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-future-of-chicagos-nonprofit-resource-center?attribution_id=sl:06234ff3-e141-428c-8fe6-e8853aceab3d&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_tip&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

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