Deceased June 12, 2016
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In Memory
Dennis, Keith Goggin ’70 and I were Pratt roommates. Dennis hailed from Texas. He was intelligent and reserved and had a wry sense of humor. He was good at fencing.
After freshman year, our paths diverged. However, in 1977 I was doing an anesthesia residency in San Francisco and bumped into Dennis by good fortune. He had returned to Texas after Amherst and had learned to refurbish antique furniture from a master. He then set up a woodworking shop in the San Francisco Mission District and developed his craft; he had several pieces in the Smithsonian. On a chance, I asked if he might help me make a Shaker-style dining room table. For the next six months, he patiently guided me step by step, from milling rough oak to applying the final finish on my trestle table, which sits in our dining room today. I have spent many happy hours trying to remember what Dennis taught me: “You must live in the moment to pay attention to small details” and “If you make a mistake, forgive yourself and remember: a craftsman is just someone who can hide his mistakes.”
Jeff Morray ’70