Rodney Berry, a fifth-generation Owensboro resident whose voice and actions helped spark dramatic change and development for the community, has died at 68 years old.
For 16 years, Berry was the president of the Public Life Foundation of Owensboro. Under Berry’s leadership, PLFO was a community catalyst in fostering civic engagement on local issues.
While president, Berry and the PLFO helped organize “We the People” forums in 2007 and 2010 that led to the transformation of Owensboro’s riverfront. A report from the forum outlined the top 20 recommendations that citizens had for the community.
In November 2011, Berry wrote about the 2007 forum, saying that the need to “transform downtown” emerged as the top recommendation.
He also wrote that the forum “provided the ammunition for hesitant leaders to take heat – and take action. … Within a few months, construction will begin on a new riverfront convention center and hotel. A public plaza and the expansion of a riverfront park are under construction. Pedestrian-friendly streets and sidewalks are in the works. Several mixed use residential-office-retail projects are coming together. Most every leader agrees: Owensboro’s downtown and riverfront initiatives would not have occurred had it not been for the public outcry to make it a priority.”
Throughout Berry’s tenure at the foundation, numerous other public forums were organized around many local issues, leading to two major projects.
The People’s Health Project led to extensive public discussions on the health needs of Daviess County. The Citizens Health Care Advocates grew out of this effort, keeping public attention on the area’s health priorities for years after the public forum.
Another major forum centered on Owensboro’s aesthetic appeal. That research and subsequent discussion led to the founding of PRIDE, a group that took on projects aimed at improving the look of Owensboro’s public spaces.
Berry was also instrumental in the establishment of the Community Dental Clinic in Owensboro in 2009. The clinic serves Medicaid-eligible and uninsured patients in the seven-county Green River District.
Berry also wrote extensively through his life’s work in local community development, most notably for the Public Life Advocate, a regular publication of the Foundation that focused on public issues and provided research.
In the last few years of Berry’s tenure, the Foundation’s focus shifted from civic engagement to youth and education. Berry also started the Early Childhood Education Initiative that the Foundation still focuses on today. The foundation has committed up to $4 million to improve access to quality early childhood education locally.
Health complications led Berry to retire from the Foundation in 2016. He was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia Disease, a degenerative neurologic disease that affects the chemicals in the brain. He had already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, which affects the motor system.
Prior to the PLFO, Berry served as the first director of the RiverPark Center when it opened in 1992. For the 4 years prior, he also helped raise funding to build the RPC and oversaw its construction.
In February 2019, Berry was honored for his contributions in making the RiverPark Center a place where the arts are available to everyone, regardless of income, social status, gender or race. The Children’s Art Fund was created in April 2018 in honor of Berry and raised $175,000 in less than a year. The fund allows children to get involved in the different programs focused on educating and interacting with school-age children who are interested in learning about the theater and other subjects.
In 2020, following the publication of his novel Holding on to Hope, Berry reflected on his roles throughout the years.
He said, “Most of my work has been connected to community development, civic engagement, the arts and social issues.”
