From streaking to study abroad, Larry Dendy has witnessed and written about nearly four decades of UGA history.
The assistant to the vice president for public affairs, Dendy has written thousands of stories on everything from talking chimpanzees to the geography of body odor. He’s covered University Council, Staff Council, visits of former and future U.S. presidents to campus and even the Olympics. He writes UGA’s official releases on major events, including donations and obituaries for prominent UGA figures.
Dendy will take with him a vast knowledge of university history when he retires July 1.
He has worked under four UGA presidents: Fred C. Davison, Henry King Stanford, Charles B. Knapp and Michael F. Adams.
He’s served as the president’s speech writer and written the university’s annual report. For years, he’s written scripts for commencement ceremonies, which he regularly attends. Throughout the years, he estimates he’s attended almost 70 commencement ceremonies, including the May 9 ceremony.
“I think they’re kind of fun,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed going to commencements and have heard some interesting speakers. It’s just a happy time.”
An alumnus, Dendy graduated from UGA in 1965. In the fall of 1964, he served as editor-in-chief for The Red & Black, where he recalls getting into some hot water for endorsing Lyndon B. Johnson in that year’s presidential election and making some “intemperate” remarks in his editorials.
The newspaper, not yet independent, was located in the basement of Brooks Hall. Features at the time included a society page, notice of sorority girls getting pinned and a good-looking co-ed of the week.
After graduation he and his wife, Gail, spent two years in the Peace Corps in India. He then worked at the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for three years before returning to Georgia and working at the Tifton Gazette.
Dendy and Gail moved back to Athens so that she could finish her history degree. He took a job in the news service as a science writer.
Dendy was promoted to news director, a position he held until assuming his current title in 1989.
“Like many people, we didn’t expect to stay here as long as we did,” he said. “We just never left.”
He’s seen the office go from manual typewriters to electric typewriters to computers. He recalls finishing typing a story, giving it to the secretary to type up on mimeograph paper and then mailing it out as a news release. For urgent stories, he said the office would call news organizations. For the local media, press releases were hand delivered by a runner once a day. Fax machines eliminated having to mail out press releases, and now press releases are sent via e-mail and posted on the Web.
Despite the technological changes, he said his job has stayed relatively the same. “I came here as a writer and editor and that’s what I’ve done for 37 years in one capacity or another,” he said.
During Christmas time, Dendy is known for the humorous songs left on his computer by the mysterious phantom. The songs poke fun at UGA issues-everything from the drought to budget issues. The songs, and earlier silly poems, started showing up in the ’80s on Dendy’s typewriter, and every year make it to the office Christmas party.
“Most people think of me as serious,” he said. “It’s just my attempt to have a little fun.”
Dendy also is an unofficial UGA historian-someone to ask about university history.
“I’ve lived through most of it,” he joked. “I’m pleased to have seen and been involved in as much as I have, and therefore to have the institutional knowledge.”
