was born on July 8, 1942 in Newport, Oregon. At four years old, his family moved to Eureka, California where he attended local schools and graduated from Eureka High School in 1960. During his high school senior year, he began working for Eureka radio and television stations, co-hosted a local Saturday TV dance show and played piano in a local dance band. While working as a morning disc jockey, Dennis attended Humboldt State University where he majored in Radio-Television Speech Communication and minored in Business.
Dennis completed his college education and obtained his Bachelors of Arts Degree at Sacramento State University while he was working for KCRA-TV in Sacramento. After a stint as Promotion Director at a television station in Denver, Colorado, he decided to return home to Eureka where he opened an advertising agency which he operated for 25 years.
In 1977, Dennis joined the Rotary Club of Eureka where he served as its President in 1994-1995. While managing his advertising agency, he served as news anchor on a Eureka television station from 1982 through 1988. In 1989, Dennis entered the world of local politics as he was elected to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District. He was re-elected four times, serving as President, Vice President and Secretary of the Board. He also served on the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission from 1992 to 2007, where he served twice as Chairman of the Board and served on its Executive Committee.
Dennis served on the board for Easter Seals of Northern California where he was President of both the State and local chapters. He also served as on-air host and producer of the local Easter Seals Telethon for 30 years. Other community involvement includes three terms on the board of the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce where he served as its President in 2008, board member of the local PBS television station, the American Cancer Society, Civil Air Patrol, the Humboldt Convention and Visitors Bureau and is a current member of the City of Eureka’s Financial Advisory Committee. He is a Master Mason of Humboldt Lodge #79. In 1995, Dennis became the Vice President of Marketing for a regional credit union and held that position until he retired in 2013.
Upon retirement, Dennis and his wife Karen joined Eureka Elks Lodge #652. Two months after being initiated, he became Inner Guard and began to work through the chairs until he served as Exalted Ruler in 2018-2019. During that time, Dennis also edited the lodge’s newsletter, served as Public Relations Chair and chaired the House Committee. In 2019, DDGER Brad Smith appointed him as his Grand Esquire of the “Great” Northwest District. Dennis and Karen have four children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Hobbies include learning guitar, reading, rooting for the San Francisco Giants and 49ers and traveling with Karen and their two four-legged canine children, Buster and Posey.
