EVIE DENNIS PAPERS

Born September 9, 1924 in Canton, Mississippi, Evie Garrett Dennis was eighth of the nine children of Reverend Eugene Garrett, who owned a small sawmill, and Ola Brown Garrett. Dennis graduated from Cameron Street High School. In 1950, she married Philip Dennis in Chicago and helped put him through medical school in St. Louis, Missouri. She had a daughter, Pia, in 1951 and in that same year, she divorced her husband.

In 1953, Dennis received a Bachelor's degree in biology from Saint Louis University. She worked as a research associate and assistant at various medical institutions to support herself and her daughter. In 1958, Dennis moved to Denver. She worked as a researcher at Children’s Asthma Research Institute, the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children and other medical institutions until 1966. She then taught mathematics for the Denver Public Schools, starting at Lake Middle School. Returning to school to certify as a teacher, She received her Master's degree in Education from the University of Colorado in 1971. She earned her doctorate from Nova University of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1976.

In 1971, Dennis began working in the Denver Public School system administration. In 1974, she was assigned to bring together a team that would prepare students, parents and teachers for court-ordered busing. By 1977, she was Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent. Dennis continued to be promoted until she was appointed Deputy Superintendent in 1989. The next year, she became the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, a position she held until her retirement in 1994. Dennis was the first female and first African American superintendent of Denver Public Schools.

Dennis's daughter, Pia, started running in track and field events in fifth grade. She was a talented sprinter but, at the time, girls in Denver high schools did not compete with other schools. Evie Dennis helped form the Mile High Denver Track Club that was able to hold events for girls. Later, the team became the Denver All-Stars, belonging to the Amateur Athletic Union, which became the United States Amateur Athletic Union. Dennis was a member of the Rocky Mountain Association of the Amateur Athletic Union in 1975. In 1978, Dennis was elected the first female vice-president of the national association.

Originally working as a chaperone for women athletes on international trips, Dennis became a manager of the U.S. Women's Track and Field team for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. In 1980, she held the same position although the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympics. Dennis became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1992. She also participated in the management of the Pan American games and the International Amateur Athletic Federation, which sponsored track and field events worldwide.

After her retirement from Denver Public Schools in 1994, Mayors Federico Pena and Wellington Webb appointed Dennis to special positions. In 1986 and 1988, Mayor Federico Pena assigned her to the Denver Private Industry Council and to his Mayor's Black Advisory Committee. Dennis received numerous awards and honors. In 1992, she received the Olympic Order for outstanding service to the Olympic cause. In 1994, the National Black Caucus of State Legislatures honored her with a Nation Builder Award. In 1998, Dennis was inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen Hall of Fame and, in 2008, she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.