MICHAEL ROBERTSON DENNIS,

September 9, 1940 – March 21, 2020.

A gentleman has departed from this earth. On Saturday evening, March 21, 2020, Commander Michael Robertson Dennis, USN (Ret.), peacefully passed away at home in the company of his beloved wife Marilyn J. (Langrell), daughter Tracey M. Dennis, and dogs, Cooper and Lemon.

Michael bravely battled a series of illnesses for over two years. Michael, born September 9, 1940, in Du Quoin, Illinois, was the first child of John E. Dennis and Juanita M. Rosendohl Dennis. He was raised in Illinois and Missouri until his family moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1953. Mike was a loving and protective big brother to John Steven Dennis and Thomas Christopher Dennis. Mike was no stranger to self-discipline and hard work, even as a young man. He worked all through junior and senior high school as a paperboy and a grocery store clerk. Later in life, he found it an amusing retell that he was the fresh produce manager while still in high school. Mike graduated Pine Bluff High School in 1958.

From an early age, Mike was a blessed individual in that he excelled both academically and athletically. Mike pitched for both the Pine Bluff Little League and Babe Ruth League all through his elementary, junior, and high school years. In fact, Mike pitched for the Babe Ruth team that won the first state championship for Pine Bluff in 1956.

At 17, Mike was awarded a U.S. Naval Scholarship to the University of Mississippi at Oxford, Mississippi (Ole Miss). He was named on the Dean’s List all four years. Mike’s academic success at Ole Miss culminated in his receipt of the Taylor Medal, the University’s highest individual academic award for scholarship. In addition, Mike was top of his freshman NROTC Class and was Ole Miss’ first NROTC freshman student to receive a 4.00 carrying 21 hours or more. Mike earned a walk-on position on the Ole Miss baseball team as a freshman. Much to his regret, ultimately, he was forced to choose his NROTC scholarship over sports team participation, even though he excelled in both endeavors. Mike’s academic experience was unique in that after his freshman year grades were posted, the Naval Academy offered him a noncompetitive appointment as an incoming freshman. Being pragmatic, Mike turned down the commission because he did not want to repeat his freshman year. This decision was one of his few regrets. Mike pursued his love of aviation while in college. He obtained his private pilot’s license and enjoyed flying solo across the Delta when time permitted.

To know Mike Dennis was to know that his one and only love in life was his wife Marilyn. He had known her since early teens having played on the same baseball team as her brother, John David Langrell. Mike would tell you that he was bewitched by the blond-headed girl from the start. He often traveled home from college to see his brother Steve, play basketball, and to watch Marilyn cheerleading. Their romance was fast and deliberate: first date occurred only weeks after Marilyn’s high school graduation. They were engaged on Thanksgiving Day, 1961; married on New Year’s Day, 1962; and gave birth to their only surviving child, Tracey Michele, on Thanksgiving Day, 1962.

Mike graduated from Ole Miss in May 1962 with a B.S. in political science and a minor in German and Russian. To the astonishment of Ole Miss friends, on graduation day, he and Marilyn surprised all with the news that not only had they been secretly married earlier that year, but they were expecting. Mike was commissioned as a regular Navy officer in June 1962 and he immediately left for U.S. Navy flight school in Pensacola, Florida. On graduation day, Mike drove straight from Pensacola to Pine Bluff with only hours to spare before Tracey was born. Marilyn honored his request, “Marilyn, don’t you dare have that baby without me!” As a young military couple, these halcyon days of active military service in the 1960’s were some of their happiest years. They were stationed in Honolulu, San Diego, and finally, Treasure Island, San Francisco, where Mike served on an admiral’s staff before retiring his active commission. He was a Vietnam War Era veteran serving as a Flight Intelligence Officer with over a 110 successful flights completed in less than two years. On a related note, Mike was recruited for the initial astronaut program but he declined.

In the naval reserves, he resumed his duty as commanding officer of his unit at Memphis Naval Air Station, Millington, Tennessee. Mike continued his naval reserve status later serving at the Pentagon in the 1980’s and early 1990’s.

In August 1969, Mike and Marilyn moved to Boston where Mike began a competitive computer science program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They spent their private time as college activists supporting military families by hosting many “Prisoner of War” patronage parties. Mike proudly wore a prisoner-of-war bracelet until his serviceman safely returned to America.

After completing the MIT program, he and Marilyn moved back to Pine Bluff in order to raise their child closer to both families. In the fall of 1970, Mike attended the part-time evening division of the Fayetteville law school in Little Rock; the predecessor of The University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. Many a night, Mike grabbed a Minute Man burger before class and climbed the outside stairs to the second floor of the Gay Building at the corner of Fifth and Broadway streets. During law school, he continued work at the Pine Bluff Arsenal and his monthly naval reserve duties.

Upon passing the bar in 1974, Mike began working for Dickey, Dickey, and Drake of Pine Bluff. In short order, Pine Bluff Mayor Charles Moore appointed Mike the state’s youngest city attorney. He found the work challenging and rewarding and considered his tenure one of his professional favorites. Mike later worked at Dickey, Drake and Bynum, and became a named partner at Drake, Bynum, and Dennis. While at Dickey, Drake, and Bynum, Mike also served as contract City Attorney for Altheimer and Wabbaseka. Mike was a 46 year member of the Arkansas Bar at the time of his death.

In 1980, Mike accepted the Chief of Staff position for Congressman Beryl Anthony. Mike traveled back and forth among the Washington D.C., El Dorado, and Pine Bluff offices in order for his daughter to complete her senior year in high school. Mike and Marilyn officially moved to Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1981. Mike was recruited by the U.S. Commerce Department to head a newly formed office created to oversee illegal trafficking of computer technology. He served as Director Office of Export Enforcement, Bureau of Export Administration. In this position, he traveled most of Europe, the Balkan States, Asia, and Middle East. He frequently taught classes at Quantico’s FBI training school. In 1987, Mike took a year sabbatical from the DOC to attend the National Defense University (National War College). Upon returning to the DOC, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) of Maynard, Massachusetts, recruited Mike for the position of Director of Export Enforcement, as well as director of the DEC Washington, D.C. office. By then, Mike was recognized as one of the country’s top experts in his field. When DEC was acquired by Compaq in 1998, it was the largest merger in computer industry history. Compaq convinced Mike to remain with the company and as result, he and Marilyn moved to Houston in 2000. Mike also worked for Hewlett Packard after it purchased Compaq in 2001. Mike retired from Hewlett Packard in the summer of 2005 and provided consulting services to the company for several years.

In March 2019, Mike’s illness forced the couple to move to Little Rock where they lived with their daughter. During his retirement years, Mike enjoyed a quiet life with his wife and beloved dogs. He enjoyed reading four daily national newspapers and internet news sources. His mind remained keenly sharp up to the last year of life. His love for the law never waned. He continued to research legal issues of personal interest such as health insurance reform, personal identity fraud, and veteran’s affairs. Mike’s most memorable life experiences, a part from those involving his family, include 1) walking with the Arkansas war veterans’ contingency of the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial parade in Washington, D.C. in 1982) experiencing the birthplace of Christ and walking the shores of the Dead Sea during a business trip to Israel; 3) visiting Normandy, France where he toured the Normandy American Cemetery and the Omaha Beach Memorial and 4) being welcomed by German technology experts and responding in their native tongue at a professional conference. This experience greatly moved Mike because his mother was full German and he never forgot being at his grandmother’s home where only German was spoken. Mike will be missed by his family for so many reasons. It is fair to say that many of Mike’s friends and acquaintances perceived Mike as being serious and somewhat formal. In fact, his colleagues nicknamed him “Mr. Hard Arse.” But, Mike’s family and close friends knew he was quick-witted, quick to laugh, extremely spiritual, generous and giving to his fellow man. He was from a generation that placed great importance in living one’s life with personal integrity, strong character, and unflinching truthfulness. He spent his life fighting for underdogs and expressing compassion for those less fortunate. He was a champion of gender equality in the work place and equal pay decades before the current national discussion. Most importantly, he simply was the best father for a daughter. Mike conducted himself in an elegant and gracious manner that extended so far beyond his humble beginnings. Despite his personal achievements, he was modest in demeanor and remained a most simple man at heart — he loved his wife and daughter, his country, his Schnauzers, and good books, movies, music, and wine. He was and will remain the center of Marilyn’s and Tracey’s universe.

Mike is predeceased in death by father, John E. Dennis; mother, Juanita M. Rosendohl Dennis (Schmidt); brother, Thomas Christopher Dennis; and beloved brother-in-law, John David Langrell. Mike is survived by his wife Marilyn J.; daughter Tracey M.; brother Steve (Elenore); nephew Christopher Dennis (Stacy); nieces Rhonda Langrell Benton (Clarke), Leslie Langrell Seward (Ricky), and Stephanie Dennis Marple (Jeremy); and seven great nieces and nephews.

Marilyn and Tracey wish to express their appreciation and gratitude to the following individuals for their quality medical care and compassionate assistance: Drs. D. Jones, E. Bravo, and K. Parnell; the nursing staff of Baptist Medical Health Center, Little Rock; the staff of Baptist Health Hospice, the Little Rock Police Department, and Arkansas Crematorium. For the endless loving strength and support, we thank Holt Crenshaw and Tracey’s family of close girlfriends.

Following Mike’s wishes, he will be cremated and the family will hold his ashes until he can be joined by his wife’s. Out of an abundance of caution during this pandemic, Mike did not want a memorial, visitation or service. We respect his wishes. In lieu of cards, flowers, or bereavement dishes, the family encourages you to please donate to either CARE for Animals, Inc., 5516 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, Ark. 72207 or the Arkansas PBS Foundation, 350 S. Donaghey, Conway, Arkansas 72034.