Margaret G. K. Dennison: A powerhouse public leader

In death, as in her remarkable life of leadership, advocacy and public service, Margaret Gillmer Kroehle Dennison of Hubbard remains quintessentially humble and unpretentious.

Mrs. Dennison, who died peacefully late last week at 90, will have no funeral or public memorial service — at her firm request. That should come as little surprise to those familiar with the quiet, dignified yet powerhouse public leader in the Mahoning Valley.

Mrs. Dennison distinguished herself as a pioneering woman who desegregated the mostly men’s-only clubs of state and local politics five decades ago. Progressive-minded Valley voters recognized her acumen and spunk and elected her to become one of the first female state legislators in Ohio in 1962 and later to become the first female county commissioner in the history of Trumbull County.

And although she never made a grand production of her own gender-trailblazing example, she did set a sterling example for other women — and men, for that matter — to follow by her commendable career in politics and government.

Above all, Mrs. Dennison was a passionate advocate for improving the lot of all of her constituency — from babies in the crib to the elderly in nursing homes. In the early 1960s, for example, she was ahead of her times in sponsoring bills to enforce tougher penalties for “child torture” and to strengthen medical benefits for the state’s senior citizens. On a lighter note, in 1965, she led a campaign that has gained new life today — renaming Mosquito Lake to rid it of its embarrassing moniker.

While leading county government, she was a fierce defender of strong, effective and pollution-free water and sewer systems. In 1982, for example, she vigorously lobbied to reduce fees to tap into a new water system for the relatively poor residents in the Jacobs Road area.

She also distinguished herself as a bipartisan bridge builder — skills that Columbus and Washington sorely lack today. Even the Trumbull Federation of Labor chose her as its one and only Republican endorsee in 1966.

HER ENERGY HELPED MANY

But to those who knew and admired Mrs. Dennison — and her beaming signature smile — one could not help but be impressed by her endless supply of energy and philanthropy that made her a vibrant cog in many arts, civil-rights, educational, recreational and public-service organizations. A partial list would include the Trumbull Art Guild (which had its original gallery in Mrs. Dennison’s old family home), Butler Institute of American Art, Kent State University Trumbull Campus, the Warren-Youngstown Urban League, Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Youngstown Symphony Society and the National Society of State Legislators.

Regardless of her mission at the moment, she never stopped striving for excellence. As this newspaper commented in an editorial of April 12, 1970, in endorsing her for the Republican nomination to U.S. Congress, “Mrs. Dennison served in the Ohio Legislature at Columbus, establishing an enviable record as a legislator.” Indeed, she had more bills passed in her freshman year than any other lawmaker in the history of the General Assembly.

Margaret Dennison’s enviable and indefatigable work and advocacy helped to make our Valley a more fair, safe and secure community for all. We can best honor her tireless service by donating to two of her beloved causes: Trumbull Art Gallery, 196 E. Market St., Warren, or The Jeannette Jackson Memorial Scholarship, in care of Kent State University Trumbull Campus, 4314 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren.