May 28, 2026
Kendal at Oberlin is home to more than 300 people in their 60s and well beyond. They come from near (Oberlin and Cleveland) and far (Hawaii, Canada, and elsewhere). The residents share many common values, such as sustainability and lifelong learning, and many have ties to Oberlin College. But each resident has his or her own unique story.
Meet Jim Cassidy
When word went out that Oberlin College film students and Langston Middle School students were looking for older adults to interview about a meaningful experience in their lives, Kendal resident Jim Cassidy signed up. He shared the story of his “Great American Road Trip” and in the process made new friends and learned the intricacies of filmmaking.
“I really enjoyed the intergenerational experience and think they did a great job,” says Jim about the documentary “Preservation Pictures” that premiered at Oberlin’s Apollo Theatre on May 16. (The film, which also features residents Elizabeth Fairchild and Dennis and Judy Cook, will be shown at Kendal this summer.)
The road trip Jim shared with the students involved a train ride in 2012 from his home in Connecticut to California to pick up his son’s VW Golf that was being “willed” to him. But as a former solo long-distance bicyclist, Jim has more road trip stories to share, like the 750-mile bike ride along the Connecticut River in 1999.
“It’s all downhill from here” the border patrol officer said to Jim as he crossed into New Hampshire from Quebec. True for the river, but, alas, not for the cyclist.
These days Jim is a “citizen cyclist,” riding year-round (weather permitting) for trips to downtown coffee shops and the library and biking around Kendal. “As often as I can get on that bike, I do,” he says.
Life at Kendal
Jim and his wife Marianne moved to Kendal in October 2024, having been introduced to the life plan community by friends who toured the Kendal campus while visiting their daughter, an Oberlin College student.
Marianne is from the Cleveland area but the couple had spent most of their married life living in Connecticut and had never really thought about retiring in Ohio.
“But we did a “Try It, You’ll Like It” and we liked it a lot,” he says.
Two projects at Kendal keep Jim busy. He’s a “poster maker,” to help publicize the myriad of events and programs held at Kendal. “I’m an amateur graphic artist and really enjoy making posters,” he says.
On a personal note, he uses his graphic skills to also make postcards to send to family and friends, including his longtime “postcard buddy.”
And Jim’s on the 2027-2032 Strategic Planning Committee, comprised of residents, staff and board members. Once the plan is approved, the committee will continue to meet to monitor progress of its goals.
Off-campus, Jim is involved with preservation of the round brick Gasholder Building, built in 1889 to store coal gas that was used to power streetlamps around town. It fell into disuse and disrepair and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Oberlin Underground Railroad Center Team wants to turn the building into a usable community center but it needs lots of work. “I think it’s a beautiful building, and is worth the effort,” says Jim, a retired architect.
Back in Connecticut, Jim joined other bicycle enthusiasts to help the town of Plainville become a Bicycle Friendly Community, but thinks such a designation for Oberlin is redundant.
“The city has bike racks, respect from drivers and it has people on bikes from young to old. Clearly Oberlin is a bicycle friendly community,” he says.
