The University of Notre Dame has created a tribute to one of its distinguished alumni, Dr. John F. Kennedy, who also served as professor of fluid mechanics and director of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (today IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering) at the University of Iowa from 1966 until his untimely death in 1991.

Kennedy took the wealth of his engineering studies at Notre Dame and applied them to hydraulic research at the UI, helping further strengthen IIHR's legendary global reputation in the field of fluid mechanics and environmental challenges.

In 2004, Kennedy was posthumously inducted into the College of Engineering's Legacy of Iowa Engineering.