|
Jerry and Anne Marie Dempsey are the first recipients of the Thomas More
Award for Service to The Willows Academy and Northridge Preparatory School.
Long has been their association with the schools – more than three decades -
and highlighted in every way by service as parents, professional advisors,
board members, and generous benefactors.
Sought after for their considerable talents, Jerry as attorney, and Anne
Marie as attorney and accountant, both shared without measure their skills
with school administrators, fellow board members, and parent groups,
organizing various initiatives. “A board meeting without Anne Marie Dempsey
present was like steering without your right hand,” commented Heide Kenny
regarding Anne Marie’s service to The Willows Academy board of directors.
Behind the scenes, Jerry served as mentor and advisor to multiple heads of
school and to a series of boards, sharing his expertise in educational
matters, perfected during his long career as partner at Klein, Thorpe &
Jenkins, Ltd. “I remember Jerry as a dad on a father-son outing”, quipped
Ben Cleveland, fellow parent at Northridge Prep, “teaching my first son and
me, how to launch a model rocket. After that he gave an inspiring talk to
all the dads about integrity and service”.
Anne Marie and Jerry know a lot about parenting. As parents of twelve
children and a growing number of grandchildren, there has been at least one
Dempsey child at one of the schools for the past thirty years. In the early
years, many got to know the Dempseys as the parents running the carpool van
from the northern suburbs to help other parents overcome the commuting
issues. Others have come to know them personally through friendship and the
shared concerns of parenting. The Dempseys have always sought to strengthen
the family.
Truly the Dempseys are a couple for “all seasons”, weathering the
beginnings of two fledgling schools, serving tirelessly in roles too many to
count, and persevering courageously as The Willows and Northridge
established themselves. Through all of this, Anne Marie, with her Irish lilt
and Jerry, with his wry sense of humor, have collaborated with many who are
honored to be counted as their extended family of friends.
|
