I met Dennis when I was 12 and he introduced me to his group of neighborhood friends, Chris, Stan, Bill, Rob…. Years before, Dr. Lynn had repaired my dad’s shoulder in a bodysurfing accident but I hadn’t met Dennis yet.
Right off I knew this was a good guy because he brought me into his circle of friends and made me one of them. And he had a sometimes dark, sometimes goofy, always funny sense of humor. We survived youthful pranks and went on adventures as far as our bikes would take us.
Six years of Harvard School together, we lasted through the days of the military, the blue blazers and gray slacks, all the way till our hair went to your shoulders and showing up to class in blue jeans was okay as long as you showed up to class. It was quite a transition and a ball. Through all the struggles and awkwardness of the teen years, Dennis was a constant friend and made it fun.
Going to college at Berkeley, Dennis was right there with me. What a change. going from a class of 100plus to a student body of 30,000… My first chemistry class had over 1500 students. It was good to have a friend to talk to. He went on to be the President of his Fraternity, something that meant a lot to him.
Post college, we both ended up back in Los Angeles, him following his path in the restaurant/bar world and me working to become a writer. We were always in contact, maintaining and growing our friendship. And once again, Dennis would introduce me to all his friends and bring me into his world.
Dennis was the ultimate host, arranging parties and making sure that everyone was comfortable.
After his mom passed away, the Davis family (my dad, my sister, and the rest) adopted Dennis, as I am sure many families did, and Dennis spent many a holiday with us. He always brought light and laughter and cooked and cleaned up (never showed up empty handed).
Dennis was my life long friend and I miss him and miss that I can’t just call him up to check in on him.
Randolph