[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 114 (Friday, July 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DR. EVIE GARRETT DENNIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 2010

  Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary 
life and exceptional accomplishments of Dr. Evie Garrett Dennis. On 
August 13, 2010, Dr. Dennis will be honored by the dedication of the 
Evie Garrett Dennis Campus of the Denver Public Schools. Dr. Dennis 
served as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools from 1990-1994. She 
was the first and to date the only African American and woman to hold 
this position.
  Dr. Dennis was born on September 9, 1924, in Canton, Mississippi, the 
eighth of nine children born to Mrs. Ola Brown Garrett and Rev. Eugene 
Garrett. A graduate of Cameron Street High School, she married in 1950 
and her daughter Pia was born in 1951. After earning her bachelor's 
degree in Biology from St. Louis University, she worked as a research 
assistant and associate. In 1958, Dr. Dennis and her daughter moved to 
Denver, Colorado, where she worked as a researcher and specialist in 
childhood asthma at the Children's Asthma Research Institute and 
Hospital, the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children, and other 
medical institutions in the area.
  In 1966, Dr. Dennis began her tenure with the Denver Public Schools 
(DPS) as a math teacher. After earning a Master's degree in education 
from the University of Colorado in 1971, she worked in the DPS 
administration. In 1974, she successfully implemented and monitored the 
U.S. District Court ordered school busing plan. In 1976, she earned a 
doctorate in education from Nova University. From 1977 to 1989, she 
served as administrative assistant to the Superintendent of Schools. 
She was appointed to the position of Deputy Superintendent of DPS in 
1989.
  In 1990, Dr. Evie Dennis became Superintendent of the DPS. Under her 
leadership, four innovative educational programs were launched in the 
district's schools: Expeditionary Learning in partnership with the 
Upward Bound Program; the Denver School of the Arts; the K-5 
International Baccalaureate Program; and the International Studies 
Program at West High School. She implemented site-based management 
practices in the system's schools and started the district's 
educational advisory councils; the Denver Energy, Engineering and 
Education Program (DEEP); and, the American Israel Student Exchange 
Program.
  Dr. Dennis is also known for the contributions she has made to Denver 
and the broader world. In 1986 and 1988, Denver Mayor Federico 
appointed her to the Denver Private Industry Council and the Mayor's 
Black Advisory Council. In 1994, she received the Nation Builder Award 
from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. She received the 
Russell T. Tutt Award for Excellence in Leadership for Outstanding 
Leadership in Colorado's non-profit community in 1999 from the El Pomar 
Foundation.
  Dr. Dennis is a multifaceted, dedicated, and talented woman whose 
contributions to amateur athletics and the International Olympics are 
recognized internationally. In 1962, she helped to form the Denver All-
Stars which became the Mile High Denver Track Club, in order for her 
daughter to have opportunities to compete in an era before the 
existence of a girls' high school track program.
  The team was a member of the Amateur Athletic Union, which later 
became the United States Amateur Athletic Union. Dr. Dennis was a 
member of the Rocky Mountain Association of the Amateur Athletic Union 
in 1975. In 1978, she was elected the first female vice-president of 
the national association. Dr. Dennis served USA Track and Field, Inc. 
for more than four decades in numerous capacities, including as its 
first acting president. She has served as a member of the board of 
Trustees for the U.S. Sports Academy and the USA Track and Field, Inc., 
and delegate to the International Association of Athletics Federations.
  She was the first woman vice president of the United States Olympic 
Organizing Committee (USOOC) and has been involved with every U.S. 
Olympics team since 1972. She became a manager of the U.S. Women's 
Track and Field team for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. She served on 
the United States Olympic Committee's Task Force on Doping and chaired 
the Women's and Diversity and Leadership committees. She remains a 
member of the Governing Bodies Council and became a member of the 
International Olympic Committee in 1992.
  In 1977, as a member of the USOOC, she presented the successful 
motion to move the headquarters from New York to Colorado Springs, 
Colorado, which was accomplished in 1978. In 1980, she received the 
Congressional Gold Medal along with the U.S. Olympic Team. She served 
as Chef de Mission for the U.S. delegation at the 1998 Summer Olympic 
Games in Seoul, South Korea. In 1992, she received the Olympic Order 
for outstanding service to the Olympic cause. In 2004, she was inducted 
in to the United States Olympic Track and Field Hall of Fame.
  Dr. Dennis has authored several papers and articles on public 
education and childhood asthma. She is a staunch supporter of Title IX, 
ensuring access to sports for young women. She has been recognized for 
her many volunteer contributions to various committees, associations, 
organizations, foundations, and other groups that focus on the 
advancement of education and the value of sports in our society.
  She is a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Dr. Dennis 
served as president of the Epsilon Nu Omega chapter in Denver and was 
instrumental in hosting the sorority's national convention in the city 
in 1972.
  Having been inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen Hall of Fame in 
1998, Dr. Dennis was then inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of 
Fame in 2008 as one who exemplifies the best qualities of the people 
who have built and sustained Colorado.
  Please join me in paying tribute to Dr. Evie Garrett Dennis for her 
life's work as a distinguished educator, remarkable sportswoman, and 
global community servant.

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