He was granted tenure in 1947, and was appointed Distinguished Professor of English in 1959, one of the first three academics at Ohio University to receive this honor.

In 1950 Kendall was awarded a Marburgh Prize from Johns Hopkins University for a three-act play, The Ant Village.

In 1952 he was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship which assisted him in completing Richard III, which was published in 1955, and raises anew the question whether or not that monarch was an usurper.

It relied heavily on primary sources and made a significant contribution to the arguments for a favourable view of Richard.

Philippa Langley, who spearheaded the discovery of Richard III's remains, cited the book as the starting point for her interest in the monarch.