By Andrew McClure

Just minutes before starting time at the Heroes Run 5K Run/Walk at Hewlett Point Beach Park in East Rockaway, George Dennis of Muttontown, Long Island seems at ease. While other runners are pacing, stretching or taking a last minute jog, Dennis is laughing as he commiserates with other runners prior to making his way to the starting line for what will be his 682nd road race.

While most are hanging up their running shoes at 57, Dennis was just getting started. “One of my sons and his friends came to New York to run the New York City Marathon in 1980,” Dennis said. “After the race, they came back to my home for a huge party. I figured if kids could have fun, so can old guys. I started running the next day.” He hasn’t stopped since.

Dennis, who was a Senior Vice President at Manufacturer’s Hanover Trust in Manhattan before retiring in 1983, promptly began running seven days a week. Within two weeks, he was running five miles per day. Having caught a serious case of runner’s itch, Dennis entered a 10-kilometer race in Plainview sponsored by the Police Boys Club. After finishing his first race, he joined the Plainview-Old Bethpage Running Club, now known as The Greater Long Island Running Club. The group is Long Island's largest and most active running club.      

Dennis grew up in Brooklyn and graduated Bushwick High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He proudly states that his elementary school class was of mixed gender and mixed race. When he joined the military in 1942 and qualified as an Aviation Cadet, he was disheartened to find that blacks were harshly discriminated against in the armed forces. “There weren’t any black enlisted men in the flying cadre in World War II,” Dennis said. “I was hurt by the fact that my classmates from school couldn’t fly or even handle the simple job of repairing a B-17 bomber. Incidentally, the Tuskegee Airmen were highly touted fighter pilots.” 

While the beginning of the end of racial segregation in the military didn’t occur until the late 1940s, Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged President Roosevelt to authorize military flight training at Tuskegee. She saw no reason why blacks could not fly. Since there were no black officers, 11 white officers were assigned to train and prepare a total of 429 enlisted men and 47 officers who would become the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black military personnel in the flying school. The Airmen distinguished themselves during World War II. By the end of the war, nearly 1,000 African-Americans had won their wings at Tuskegee Army Air Field. 

As a member of the 381st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, Dennis flew 16 combat missions. On May 19, 1944, he was part of a 39-aircraft attack on Berlin. His flight crew of nine men was deputy lead of a formation of 888 B-17 and B-24s. His aircraft was shot down over Berlin and he was taken prisoner. Among those with him were his pilot Harold Blog, who also resides on Long Island. All nine survived the war. Dennis spent 344 days as a POW, much of it at Stalag Luft III. The camp is best known for the famous prisoner escape that took place, which was depicted in the film “The Great Escape.” Dennis and other airmen were liberated on April 29, 1945. 

George married Catherine Ann Lillian Mullen on Memorial Day in 1949 at the Nativity of our Blessed Lord in Brooklyn. They raised five children, all of whom earned advanced degrees. They were also blessed with nine grandchildren. Dennis is very proud of Catherine’s accomplishments. “My wife dropped out of school to support her family during World War II,” Dennis said. “She raised five children, and found time to earn her Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Catherine was the first and only member of the Mullen clan - there were nine in number - to graduate from college. She was a great woman.” Catherine Dennis, who became a Certified Social Worker in 1982, passed away in December of 2003.   

The Heroes Run 5K, an event presented by the non-profit organization Building Homes for Heroes, which raises funds for severely wounded men and women of the military, is one that Dennis is enthusiastic about being able to support. He’s made a living of giving back. 

“My father has always looked out for other people,” said Karen Dennis, an Assistant Dean of the School of Business at Montclair State University. “He’s very proud of his military service, but he knows it’s not about him, it’s about all of the men and women who served. Dad has always been way ahead of his time. He was always encouraging women, not just his daughters, to get an education. He was a feminist before the feminist movement began. He cares deeply about fairness and looks out for others. What better example could you want?”

One of the races the octogenarian looks forward to each year is the Nationwide Insurance 10 Kilometer Run for ASPIRE, the longest-running continuous race on Long Island. The proceeds of the event are given to the ASPIRE Program for the rehabilitation of young amputees through athletics. Dennis has competed in the event 27 times.  

Dennis, who is a graduate of St. John’s University, calls choosing to begin running the best decision he has ever made. “Exercising regularly reinvigorated my life,” Dennis said. “The health benefits are unbelievable. It’s good for the lungs and the heart. I would encourage anyone to get involved, get active, run races, and live a good healthy lifestyle.”

The oldest participant in the Heroes Run 5K casually crosses the finishing line in slightly over 53 minutes. As is often the case, he’s awarded a gold medal for finishing first in his age group. 

After 682 races, Dennis still loves race day, but he doesn’t get out on the road as much as he had in the past. “Running isn’t as comfortable or as pleasurable as it once was,” Dennis said. “I still enjoy the social aspect of it. There are so many friendly people that I have gotten to know through running. I’ll continue as long as I’m physically and psychologically capable. But, let’s face it; I’m not the kid that I was a year and a half ago.”