The Kernodle Family

The Kernodle Family

John Robert Kernodle Jr. graduated from Duke University School of Law and Andover Newton Theological School. He became an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ in 1971 and was a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro.

Kernodle founded and served as Executive Director of the Community Justice Resource Center at Guilford College. Many local organizations and agencies benefited from Kernodle’s membership and guidance, including the Guilford County School Board and the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union, both of which he served as chairman; the boards of directors of the Eastern Music Festival and One Step Further, Inc., both of which he served as president; and the United Arts Council, Greensboro Task Force to Reduce Family Violence and Leadership North Carolina, all of which he served as a member.

Throughout his life, John Robert Kernodle, Jr., was determined to do what he believed was right – giving of his time and giving his life to help others. Born and raised in Burlington, he became an ordained minister at an early age and put his efforts to work in a Greensboro Church that emphasizes deeds over words. According to Reverend Julie Peeples, senior minister at John Robert’s church, ‘If there is any excellence, we lived with excellence. We talked and laughed and loved with excellence. If there is any excellence, the Kernodle family has written the book on it.’