Obituary of Charles Dennison

Charles Pugh Dennison, teacher, administrator and long time Princeton resident died October 27, 2011 at the age of 95 of natural causes. Raised in Rye, NY he went to St. Paul's school in NH and graduated from Princeton University in 1939. Charlie, as he was known, was an educator at heart and held numerous positions in higher education. Upon graduation, he taught for two years at St. Andrews School in Delaware, followed by 5 years of active duty in the US Navy, as a destroyer engineer officer and later as a teacher at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, his exit rank a Lieutenant-Commander. He returned briefly to teaching at St. Paul's School, and then earned an MBA at Harvard Business School, and a Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia. Charlie came back to Princeton in 1953 and filled various roles including working with alumni teacher placement and teaching part time at the engineering school at Princeton. In 1958 he was recruited to the US Office of Education in Washington DC where he became the Executive Officer for educational research and development. This led him to two years at the State Department for international policy planning during the Kennedy administration, dealing with world literacy and educational issues of the cold war. Following this position Charlie took a two year appointment with Rutgers in a Carnegie supported position which brought him back to Princeton. At the end of his appointment, he returned to the US office of education as Regional Director of Higher Education in New York. In 1970 he accepted the position of the Executive Director of the English Speaking Union of the United States, headquartered in New York. Since his retirement in 1978 he has been active in both university and community interests and causes. He has volunteered for the Trenton Public Schools, the Princeton Regional schools and was a trustee of the Westminster Choir College. He was also a member of the Nassau Club, Pretty Brook Tennis Club, Springdale Golf Club, Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs, and the Princeton and Union Clubs of NY. He is survived by his wife Jane of 53 years, his daughter Anne and husband Steven Fleming of Duxbury, MA, his daughter Laura and husband Robert Leeson of Marblehead, MA, his stepson James D. Wharton and Mary Hutchinson of Jamestown, RI, and five grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 26th at 11 AM at the Princeton University Chapel. Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.