Liberty professor dies

Dr. Dennis Jennings remembered for his legacy of learning and teaching

One of Liberty University’s most beloved psychology professors, Dennis Jennings, died from cancer at the age of 61 Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Dennis Jennings received his Bachelor of Arts from Butler University and his Master of Arts and doctoral degree from Stanford University.

Before he started working as a psychology professor at Liberty University in 2004, Dennis Jennings was a former professor at New York University and a consultant and senior manager of a Fortune 500 firm.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Susan Jennings, and his daughters Natasha and Taneka.

Fred Volk, a professor of counseling at Liberty who was first interviewed by Dennis Jennings before he was hired, said Dennis Jennings loved the process of teaching.

“Dr. Jennings above all else enjoyed teaching,” Volk said. “He enjoyed the process of working with students. And he really, in a lot of ways, was mentoring us, the staff members.”

Volk described Dennis Jennings as being optimistic, but realistic and practical as well.

“He approached the most difficult problems optimistically, objectively, empirically,” Volk said. “He was always very clear and very fair and very organized — about the most organized that you would find as a professor.”

Daniel Logan, a psychology professor at Liberty, said that Dennis Jennings heavily invested in the lives of students and would always make sure that his presentations were as up-to-date as possible.

“Where most of us know a lot about a little, he knew a lot about a lot,” Logan said. “And that came through in his interactions. His humor would sneak up on you if you weren’t ready for it, and I call it intelligent humor.”

Susan Jennings also loved her husband’s sense of humor, even when it could be a little immature.

“I sometimes refer to it as a sixth grade boy humor,” Susan Jennings said. “But also clever. Because he was so smart, some people would have been initially intimidated by him, but he was such a down-to-earth guy that you could easily get past that.”

Liberty Provost Dr. Ron Hawkins, who previously served as dean over the Department of Psychology, remembers Dennis Jennings fondly.

“Dennis was Department Chair for Psychology and always manifested an upbeat, get-it-done well spirit,” Hawkins said. “I enjoyed working with him and knowing him. He will be missed.”

Dennis Jennings experienced cancer for the first time at the age of 28. Through chemotherapy and radiation, Jennings was able to go into remission. Volk said that for as long as he knew him, Dennis Jennings would either use a cane or limp due to the effects of the radiation on his leg.

According to Susan Jennings, the cancer that took her husband’s life was the result of high amounts of radiation that were used to treat a cancer he had dealt with 33 years prior. It spread to his pelvis, lungs and brain.

“We thought we had that battle won,” Susan Jennings said.

Volk said the last stretch of cancer Dennis Jennings experienced was very quick, only being noticeable for a few months before it killed him. However, Volk said the cancer did not take a toll on his work or the way he interacted with people.

“Even through the cancer, he was optimistic and trying to solve problems,” Volk said. “He was in hospice, and he and I are talking about lectures and how I might best communicate a certain thing. He lived a good life, and he would tell you that he lived a good life. And he had a chance to say goodbye, and folks had a chance to say goodbye to him. He described the last two weeks of his life as the best weeks of his life.”

Susan Jennings loved her husband’s positive spirit, which never diminished even in his final moments.

“The day he went into the hospital and he went into the emergency room and never came back — that afternoon he talked about wanting to keep teaching for the next five years at least,” Susan Jennings said. “Even though he was physically ill and very weak and it was clear he wasn’t going to live long, he still talked about wanting to keep teaching till the end.”

Volk believes Dennis Jennings’ greatest contribution to Liberty is the impact he made on the lives of the students and staff at the university.

“If you talk to any faculty member who came in during Dennis’s time in the department, every one of them can tell you how he’s influenced them,” Volk said. “One of the things I talked about (at the memorial service was that) for each of us, Dennis was an answer to prayer, and it was different for each of us. For me, it was to really learn to be a great leader and manager of people.”

Janney is the asst. news editor.