Huntington Beach : Edison High Principal Will Retire in January

Jack Kennedy, principal of Edison High School for 5 1/2 years, announced Tuesday that he plans to take early retirement as of Jan. 31, 1988.

Kennedy, 55, who was named last year to Orange Coast College’s Alumni Hall of Fame, has a reputation in California education for his anti-drug efforts. Edison High was a pioneer in voluntary drug testing of student athletes.

Kennedy said Tuesday that he and his wife, Barbara, plan to move to Northern California next year and live in the Gold Country town of Cool. “I’m thinking about going into real estate sales up there,” he said.

A resident of Garden Grove, Kennedy has been a teacher or administrator in Orange County schools since 1957, when he was a math teacher and assistant football coach at Rancho Alamitos High in Garden Grove. He also taught at Huntington Beach High, Marina High and Ocean View High, all in Huntington Beach, before coming to Edison.