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03/14/2018 08:30 AMWhen Dennis Crowe retired in 2016, life didn’t slow down, in fact it got busier. In between days spent cycling, and playing senior softball and cribbage, he is also an active member of the Madison Exchange Club, American Legion, and the Republican Town Committee.
“When people ask me about retirement, I say that I get up every morning and say ‘I want to go to work’—and then I laugh! I’m just having a ball!” he says, smiling.
March is an extra busy month for Dennis, who is serving his fourth year as the chairman of Exchange Club’s Leprechaun Run. More than 300 runners and walkers of all ages are expected to line up at the Surf Club for this year’s event on Sunday, March 18.
“We have great sponsors and supporters. It brings the community together and people just love the run,” he says. “The preparation for the run starts with meetings months in advance. We get permits for road closures and organize traffic, we go out and get local sponsors, we get graphics done for the T-shirts that the runners get on the day, we set up the website for registration, and we publicize the event.”
The day prior to the run, Dennis and his team are at the Senior Center taking registrations and handing out race packs. It’s the curtain-raiser to the big event, when Dennis starts his day early at the Surf Club, setting up the sound system and registration tables while directing traffic and his crew of energetic volunteers.
“We have a great committee and many people work so hard to make it happen. The team knows what to do and they just come in and get it done,” he says.
There’s an event for everyone with the Five Mile Run and the Two Mile Walk, as well as the popular Kid’s Fun Run, sponsored by the Madison Racquet & Swim Club.
“It’s great to have young people out being active and all the kids in the fun run receive a medallion. The Five Mile Run is a certified course with electronic timing, which some runners need to qualify their times for the more prestigious running events. It’s a great walk or run through town and it’s relatively flat with nice views of the water,” Dennis says.
“It’s been a weird winter, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel—and the Leprechaun Run is the perfect way to shake the blues off and get in shape for the summer,” he adds.
Community groups have played an important part of Dennis’s life. He was a member of the Lions Club in his previous home in Pennsylvania and also in Madison, and has been involved in the Madison Exchange Club for 15 years.
“I wish more people would realize that these are not just clubs, they are social organizations that raise funds and run programs and events for the benefit of others,” he says. “In this age of divisive finger-pointing, of Facebook and Twitter trolling, we should come together as a community to join and support these great local organizations that help people and make the community better. Put your time and effort to good use and get involved.
“The Exchange Club is committed to four programs: child abuse prevention, youth activities, Americanism, and community service. We’re a very active group and we raised funds to make a positive contribution to our community. We completely fund the 4th of July Parade for the town and we put up the American flags that line Boston Post Road. We also have the Easter Egg Hunt at the Surf Club every year. We put out hundreds and hundreds of eggs on the ground and the kids clean them up so fast. There’s not a single piece of candy left. It’s a sight to behold!”
Dennis grew up in a small town in Ohio and went straight from high school into the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. After graduating with a degree in aerospace engineering, Dennis served in active duty as a Navy pilot from 1974 to 1980, based in Brunswick, Maine.
“I was a jet jock who wanted to fly fighter planes, but when I graduated from the academy the Vietnam War had just ended, so they had no room in the jet pilot program. I ended up in propellers, flying P3 aircraft and was deployed to Spain, Bermuda, and the Azores. We flew 10- and 12-hour missions over the ocean to track and follow Soviet submarines,” he says.
As it turns out, his time behind the controls was a preamble to another career altogether.
“For me, the Navy was a great way to serve my country, but I wanted to be an engineer,” he says.
When Dennis left the Navy, he did just that, working as a systems engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Pitney Bowes. He also continued his Naval commitment with 14 years in the Naval Reserves in Pennsylvania, and two years ago, he joined the American Legion in Madison.
Dennis and his wife Louise have called Madison home for 29 years, and here they raised their three daughters: Emily who now lives with her family in Clinton; and Megan and Elizabeth, who are right at home in Madison. A proud grandfather, Dennis has “four and a half” grandchildren who keep him on his toes.
“I call Louise my most recent girlfriend—of course, she’s been my most recent girlfriend for 45 years and my wife for 43 years,” he says with a grin.
The Exchange Club of Madison Leprechaun Run is at the Surf Club, Madison on Sunday, March 18 with the Kid’s Fun Run, Five Mile Run, and Two Mile Walk all starting at 11 a.m. Register early at madisonexchange.org or at the Madison Senior Center, 29 Bradley Road, on Saturday, March 17 from noon to 4 p.m.
The Exchange Club Easter Egg Hunt is at the Surf Club, Madison on Saturday, March 24 at 10 a.m. The event is free. For more information, visit madisonexchange.org.