Dennis, Harris win AAUW awards

Two members of the Arcadia Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) were honored for their accomplishments at the Branch’s June meeting. Carol Dennis was given the Arcadia Branch’s 2012 Woman of Achievement award, and Past President Betty Harris received a certificate from the national AAUW for her fifty years of membership.

Joyce McGregor (L) presents Carol Dennis with Arcadia AAUW’s 2012 Woman of Achievement award.

Known to her fellow AAUW members as the lady with a camera (or two), Carol Dennis has been active as the group’s photographer for nearly ten years. With her keen eye, Dennis has faithfully covered meetings and special events for the Arcadia Branch. She has even moved up to producing DVDs, complete with graphics and music, for the group’s fund-raising events. Other positions she has held are Program Vice President and member of the Tech Trek Committee, in which she helps interview local middle-school girls that the Branch sends to AAUW-California’s Tech Trek Science/Math Camp at Whittier College each summer.

Dennis, a retired elementary teacher, received B.A. and Master’s degrees in Education from CSU Los Angeles. She taught sixth grade for forty years at Macy and El Portal schools (Whittier/La Habra) in the Lowell Joint School District. During her years of teaching, Dennis organized the Academic Olympics at her schools. As a Master Teacher, she mentored many prospective teachers. She is a recipient of two PTA Life Awards from her schools. Always interested in promoting education, in retirement Dennis volunteers once a week (or more) at her former schools. That is a thirty-mile round-trip drive from her home in Temple City!

Betty Harris (L) receives the national AAUW’s certificate for fifty years of membership from Alice Halberstadt, also a fifty-year member.

Carol Dennis has no trouble staying busy in retirement. She is also historian and photographer for the California Retired Teachers’ Association #71 (SGV). An inveterate traveler, Dennis has covered all seven continents (Antarctica twice) and is planning to go to South Africa this summer. Generous by nature, she has shared her travels with her two teen-aged granddaughters by taking each on a separate European vacation. When at home, Dennis enjoys her family of dogs and cats.

The second honoree of an AAUW award is Betty Harris, who received a certificate from the national AAUW for her fifty years of membership. Harris is an Arcadia Branch Past President, having served two different terms in office. In 1990, she was honored with the Woman of Achievement award. Harris is known throughout the Arcadia community for her civic contributions. For the past five years, she has served as the Coordinator of the English Conversation Class, which is jointly sponsored by the Arcadia Branch of AAUW and the Arcadia Library.

Arcadia AAUW members heartily applaud these two deserving women.