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He was born Nov. 10, 1923, in Stamford and was the son of Willard Henry and Adelaide Mildred (Wright) Kemp. He had attended Springdale, Burdick and Stamford High School (1939).
His son Bill Kemp is a Stamford constable.
He was proud of his heritage and had traced the family back to his third great-grandparents, James and Anne (Lang) Kemp of Corradownan, County Cavan, Ireland. The family has lived in Stamford since his great-grandparents William and Frances (Stark) Kemp immigrated here from Ireland in 1853. Five of his ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War: Robert Wright, Shubael Cunningham, Sylvanus Brundage, William Ward and Joseph Appleby. They were all from Westchester County, N.Y.
He met his wife, Eleanor Huse, while they were attending the University of New Hampshire. They were married in 1945. He received his B.S. in 1947 and lettered in football, hockey and lacrosse. He was a member of Kappa Sigma. He also attended the University of Bridgeport, M.S., 1952; and Fairfield University, certificate of advanced study, 1959. They had been married for 68 years when she died April 7, 2013.
During World War II he was a first lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. On Dec. 7, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross for "heroism ... extraordinary achievement ... in the face of enemy fire. ... Against heavy opposition from both aggressive and persistent fighter aircraft and intense, heavy and accurate enemy anti-aircraft fire, with their planes frequently seriously damaged by enemy fire, he and his comrades have battled their way through to their targets, defeating the enemy in the air and destroying his vital installations on the ground. Through severe and adverse weather conditions, over treacherous mountain terrain ..."
He had flown 50 missions in the European Theater of Operations and was awarded the Air Medal with three Bronze clusters; European Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars and one Silver Star; World War II Victory Medal and a Presidential Unit Citation. He served in the 15th Air Force, 450th BG, 723d Bombardment Squadron.
Kemp taught at Stamford High School from 1948-77, teaching Advanced Placement chemistry. He was Stamford High School head basketball coach from 1950-65. During his 15-year tenure the Black Knights reached the state tournament 11 times. His teams had overall records of 197 victories and 118 losses. His last two seasons the team won the FCIAC Western Division Championships – his 1963-64 team went to the state quarterfinals.
He was an elder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cromwell.
He is survived by his sons, Robert Kemp of Stamford, Peter Kemp of Wesley Chapel, Fla., Thomas (and Vi) Kemp of East Hampton, and Bill (and Luisa) Kemp of Stamford; his grandchildren, Andrew, Sarah, Chris, Laura, Billy, Kelly and Dennis Kemp; and numerous great-grandchildren
His stepsister Barbara A. Rabb lives in Toledo, Ohio. His niece Anne (Kemp) Eslinger of Enfield, Conn., and nephew Fred Kemp of Meriden, Conn. His brother Robert C. Kemp (1926-2004) of Rocky Hill, Conn., predeceased him.
He will be buried with his wife at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.
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