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him. Thank you, Dennis, for being part of my life, of our lives.” Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate Mayor Tate’s career trajectory has been similar to that of Dennis Kennedy. Both men worked at IBM. Both served on the City of Morgan Hill Planning Commission. Steve was on the City Council when Dennis began his first term as Mayor of Morgan Hill in 1992. Like Dennis, Steve has served multiple terms as Mayor and is running for a sixth term in the November 2016 election. They worked on many issues together over the years. “Dennis was a charismatic, visionary leader,” Steve said.  “He was one of the most sincere persons I’ve ever known. He listened to and endeavored to support everybody he met — a trait that made him a popular and successful politician.  He was a mentor and a friend to me and he touched all other members of our current Council.  I know that his spirit and legacy lives on in our Council today.” Judy and Murv Little Dennis was passionate about the mission of Sister Cities to promote peace and goodwill around the world by building relationships one person at a time. He was an active member and leader of Morgan Hill Sister Cities, which has cultivated close ties with sister cities in Italy, Turkey, Ireland, Mexico and Japan through exchange visits over the years. According to Judy Little, a long-time volunteer with Morgan Hill Sister Cities, “The great thing about Dennis was his desire to get to know people from other countries and learn about their cultures.   In 2007 we visited Japan with Dennis, who was our president at the time, along with his son Matt, John Foggiato, Bernie Mulligan and Brian Shiroyama. On that trip we set up Morgan Hill’s new sister city relationship with Mizuho-machi, Tokyo. Dennis helped pave the way to a lasting relationship between our two cities.” Judy’s husband Murv, also a long-time Sister Cities volunteer, said, “Dennis was GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JULY / AUGUST 2016 gmhtoday.com 87