Bob Kendrick, television anchor for ABC-6 in Columbus, and his wife, Dr. Mary Jo Kendrick, local dermatologist, love the porch and view from their new home in Washington Court House.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
The Victorian home, formerly the Langdon house, was purchased by the Kendricks and the history of the house is being preserved as they relocate to Washington Court House from Bexley. The Kendricks have copies of all the deeds dating back to 1875 when the house was built.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — The new “Stately Kendrick Manor” is coming to Washington Court House. That’s the name Bob and Dr. Mary Jo Kendrick called their Bexley home before making the decision to relocate.
ABC-6 television station in Columbus has been home to Bob Kendrick for 15 years. He anchors the evening news on both Channel 6, and Fox 28, their sister station. He has spent 44 years in the broadcasting field.
Prior to Channel 6 in Columbus, he worked as a television anchor at KUSA in Denver, Colorado, and WFTS in Tampa, Florida. He also worked at CHEK-TV in Victoria, British Columbia. He spent the 1980s as a radio disc jockey.
Kendrick was born in Canada and has dual citizenship in the United States. He loves gardening, likes to read, and is an avid cook. He is married to Fayette County native Dr. Mary Jo Kendrick, a dermatologist who has a practice at Riverside Methodist Hospital and spends two days a week at her practice in Washington Court House. She loves sewing, cooking, and teaching. They have been married seven years.
The Kendricks recently purchased the home of the late JoAnn Langdon and are making renovations, such as a new roof, HVAC improvements, and electrical upgrades. The majority of the house, built in 1875, will be preserved to keep its history alive. They want to make Washington Court House their new home and become an involved part of the Fayette County community.
According to Mary Jo Kendrick, “location, location, location” and their love for Washington Court House prompted them to buy the Victorian house and relocate. Mary Jo has family here, and they wanted to be closer to their family connections. Mary Jo and her sister, Sarah Jacobson, were born here, and they have an aunt and uncle and cousins living in Fayette County.
Mary Jo said they “would like to get involved in the community and give back their time and talents and help people if at all possible.” Bob said he wants to learn more about the history of Fayette County and plans to spend time learning, visiting places like the Fayette County Museum, and getting involved in different aspects of Washington Court House. They also want to visit various churches in the city.
Bob collects old phonographs and records with a variety of musical genres. He likes the idea of tending to the rose garden in the backyard of his new home. He plans to retire from television at the end of the year and spend time working in the home, tending to the garden in the spring, and educating himself about Fayette County. Bob said he likes to “tinker” with home projects and will keep himself busy while his wife, Mary Jo, continues her medical practice.
Mary Jo said she will cut back to two days a week at Riverside and spend two days a week at her Washington Court House practice and continue that for quite some time. She has had her dermatology practice for 15 years. She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Gamma Chapter.
Sarah Jacobson, Mary Jo’s sister, is an orthodontist at Brace Place Orthodontics on Commercial Avenue. The Kendricks said they love the fact that they can now spend more time with family and enjoy their new surroundings.
The Kendricks will commute to Columbus to work and call Washington Court House their home as soon as possible. They are in town a lot to oversee the last of the house renovations and are getting used to the US 62 drive through Mt. Sterling, they said.
