User:Dennany

 Dennany 

The Augustinian Richard Joseph Dennany Kalamazoo, Michigan Knights of Columbus July 6, 1929 Kalamazoo Council, 1616, Knights of Columbus, enjoys the unique distinction of having a father and his six sons, members of their council. Richard Dennany Sr. is the proud and happy father that has all his sons, six in number, members of the K. of C. The father and oldest son, Joseph E., have been members for 18 years, and Richard F. has been a member for a number of years, while the other four sons, Leo J., Walter J., Michael F., and Francis X. became knights on last Sunday when a initiation for the Kalamazoo District was held at the Parish Hall. We do not believe there is another Council in the entire country that can equal this family record. "Dick" Dennany, the head of the family, was born 62 years ago in the town of Naven in the County Meath, Ireland, within sight of the Royal hill of Tara, the ancestral home of the Royal Kings of Ireland, and on this hill is the hall which inspired Thomas Moore to write the stirring song of "The Harp that once through Tara's Hall." Mr. Dennany attended the National schools in Ireland and had advanced to what would correspond to the sophomore class in our American colleges, when he decided to seek his fortune in America. So at 18 he left the "auld sod" and came direct to Kalamazoo, arriving here on June 29,1882, to his uncle's, Patrick and Peter Fitzpatrick, and his aunts, Mrs. Ann Sheerin and Mrs. Bridget Ney. Soon after his arrival he became an employee of the Kalamazoo paper Co. then under the management of S. A. Gibson. He remained at the mill until 1885 and then entered the University of Notre Dame, remaining there during 1885 and 1886. He then returned to Kalamazoo and again took up paper making, which trade he has followed to the present day. Dick Dennany has been active in Kalamazoo Township activities for many years, having been a member of the Township Board and also Justice of the Peace.' But the part he played in the building of the magnificent Milham school is the one achievement in which he takes pardonable pride. Mr. Dennany was sending his children to the Catholic school, but he realized that the children of his neighbors were not receiving the educational advantages that they should enjoy, the district school at that time being a two-room affair, presided over by two teachers, so Dennany started the movement and carried it through to a successful culmination, for the modern school that was named Milham School in honor of Donald Milham, who gave his life for his country on the battlefields of France, during the World War. Dennany's battle for better educational advantages for his neighbor's children was a long drawn-out and bitter fight. He drew the attacks of the narrow minded and bigoted class, who unable to comprehend the true essence of Americanism, attributed ulterior motives to the courageous battle a Catholic citizen was fighting for the education of their children, not his own, and he was willing, modest though his means were, to not alone support the Catholic schools but to build a public school, for which he would also be taxed. Dennany triumphed over his enemies with the result that a school costing $155,000, of the most modern construction and containing the latest approved equipment, with a teaching personnel of twelve, was built and it is now the pride of Kalamazoo's most thriving suburban community. The course of study extends from the kindergarten to the eleventh grade. Dennany's efforts for his school district is a living refutation of the charge so often thrown at Catholics, that they are opposed to the public schools. Kalamazoo Council, 1616, is proud of Dick Dennany and his six sons. He has lived among us for 47 years with a character unblemished, holding the respect of all who know him.