Dr. Dennis Denenberg spent almost twenty years as a nationally known speaker about REAL heroes and their importance to kids and adults. He took his message to 44 states and made over 500 lively and fun presentations to teachers and parents.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of William and Mary (where his hero, Thomas Jefferson, was formally educated), Dr. Denenberg obtained his doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. He taught high school social studies for six years, was an elementary school principal for five years, and was assistant superintendent of schools for four years. He finished his thirty-year career in education as a professor at Millersville University, where he taught future teachers how to make history and heroes come alive for kids. These days he writes a monthly feature called “Dr. D’s Mystery Hero” for Cobblestone magazine.
In addition to his passion about REAL heroes, “Dr. D” loves to garden. In fact, his entire one- acre (0.4 hectares) property near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is full of flower gardens—there’s not a single blade of grass! Do you think the fact that Thomas Jefferson loved to garden had anything to do with this hobby?
His unsung personal heroes are his fantastic mom and dad, his speech teachers when he was young (he had a severe speech problem), and his eighth-grade history teacher, Alvin Hildebrand, who was also passionate about history. His other major unsung hero is his sister Diana, who battled breast cancer for eighteen years. He has started an endowment in her honor: Diana’s Dreamers: Determined to Defeat Breast Cancer. Read about this group at www.heroes4us.com.
Lorraine (Lori) Roscoe has been spreading the word about REAL heroes for more than twenty years. She has presented interactive programs to primary- and intermediate-age students, community groups, and college students. Roscoe has shared her message at many schools and libraries as well as at the state conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Volunteerism. Roscoe has also presented workshops for preschool and early childhood educators seeking to incorporate the heroes concept into classrooms.
A graduate of Cabrini University in Radnor, Pennsylvania, Roscoe resides in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Michael. Their family is important to them, including daughter Allison, her husband Richie, their sons Gavin and Caleb, as well as daughter Bethany. Lori is currently an active community volunteer. She considers it a privilege to celebrate heroes with children and young people, and she applauds the parents, educators, and mentors who are doing the same.
