a great leader. He always tried to build
consensus so the best decision could be
made and we could all follow through to
get things done. He embraced diversity and
was an outstanding ambassador because
he was considerate and caring regardless of
another person’s station in life.”
Jill Kirk
“Those of us involved with Sister Cities
had many opportunities to travel with
Dennis. On one trip, I joined Dennis, Vicki
Escuton and Marilyn Librers for a Sister
City event in Washington D.C. We drove
around the capitol one night and Dennis
played tour guide, pointing out all the
national monuments and sharing what he
knew about their history. He was excited
to be there and proud of our country. At
the Smithsonian Museum we had fun
posing among statues of famous people we
admired. The statue of Rosa Parks was one
of Dennis’s favorites.”
“When Dennis could no longer drive
because of the side effects of his chemo-
therapy, he liked to call on my teenage
grandson Kevin. They developed a special
bond. Recently Kevin told me how his high
school friends often came along for the ride.
Dennis wanted to know how their lives
were going and what they thought about
the world. He had such respect for the boys
and they returned it in kind.”
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“Every once in a while I find myself
wanting to pick up the phone and call
Dennis to share a funny story. My friend-
ship with him has made me a better person.
I’m going to miss him so much.”
John and Michelle McKay
“Dennis was like family to my wife
Michelle and me. We spent many birth-
days and family holidays together. He had
an adventurous spirit and enjoyed trying
new things. If someone had an idea for an
outing, Dennis would say, ‘Count me in!’
He showed his friends how to live in the
moment, and that’s a rare gift.”
“Dennis sometimes joined Marty Cheek,
Michelle and I on day trips. No matter
where we went, he struck up conversations
with other people, introducing himself
by saying, ‘Hi, I’m Dennis Kennedy from
Morgan Hill.’ He had a natural curiosity
about people and their way of thinking, and
was quick to talk about his love for Morgan
Hill.”
“I got to know Dennis through the
Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance and then the
Morgan Hill Downtown Association. He
encouraged me to get involved with a great
group of people like Edith Ramirez who
were focused on promoting Morgan Hill as
a destination city.”
“Dennis liked to think BIG and he
urged others to do the same. He would say,
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JULY / AUGUST 2016
‘Establish the vision now, then execute on
the plan . . . it may take a long time and
that’s okay but you’ve got to start the ball
rolling.’”
“Long before plans were made, Dennis
was excited about downtown projects that
are just now coming to fruition. He was
a tremendous resource in terms of under-
standing how things work and who to go to
for support in Morgan Hill, and he knew
how to bring people together to get things
done. Dennis was not one to push his
opinion on others. I only wish I had asked
his opinion more often.”
Kathy Sullivan
“Dennis created a legacy that I’m sure will
live on in Morgan Hill. I first met him
while I was running for the school board.
My friends urged me to get an endorsement
from a community leader. I was new to this
kind of thing and I figured, why not call the
mayor? It didn’t occur to me that this was a
presumptuous thing to do. But Dennis took
my call, invited me to talk about my back-
ground and asked a few questions. He said
he’d check into the matter and get back to
me. The very next day he called and offered
to endorse me. Even after I was elected,
Dennis wanted to know how I was doing.
He was a true public servant who enjoyed
helping people.”
“He was reserved and polite yet such
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