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Evie Dennis, EdD
Born September 8, 1924
Inducted 2008
Evie Garrett Dennis is a leader, innovator, and
pioneering advocate for political and legislative change to advance
and enhance opportunities for all people in the areas of education,
Olympic sports, and amateur athletics.
Dennis came to Denver as a researcher at Children’s Asthma
Research Institute and The Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children.
She began her public education career in 1966 as a teacher, eventually
moving through the Denver Public Schools system to become Deputy
Superintendent from 1988 to 1990 and Superintendent from 1990 to
1994. Dennis was charged with implementing and monitoring the U.S.
District Court order to desegregate Denver public schools. Through
her dedication to improve and ensure equal educational opportunities
for all students and to work with the community through the difficult
issues presented by the court’s order, Dennis successfully
guided the school system through a complicated and divisive period
to create positive alliances between school district, parents,
students, teachers, patrons, and community leaders. In addition,
she designed and implemented innovative programs to meet the needs
of the district’s diverse population, including the Education
Advisory Councils, the Denver Energy, Engineering and Education
Program (DEEEP), and the American Israel Student Exchange Program.
Evie Dennis’ second great field of endeavor is in amateur
and professional athletics. She started as a supporter of her daughter’s
track team and rose through local, city, state, regional, and national
sports organizations to eventually serve on the boards of directors
for the Rocky Mountain AAU, USA Track & Field, and the U.S.
Olympic Committee, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of
the U.S. Sports Academy. She was the Chef de Mission for the USOC
for two Pan American Games as well as the 1988 Olympic Games, a
first for a woman in the Olympic movement. She is one of the first
women to reach the U.S. Olympic Executive Committee and the first
to serve as Vice President of the U.S. Olympic Committee, has chaired
its Women’s Committee and Diversity Committee, and remains
a member of the Governing Bodies Council. She has been a staunch
advocate and spokesperson for Title IX, ensuring equal access to
sports for young women.
Since 1983, Dennis has chaired the El Pomar Foundation Awards
for Excellence Commission, which recognizes and rewards Colorado
nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals that serve
their communities with distinction and excellence.
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