Gary Denniss
Quick Facts
Biography
Frank Garfield Denniss is a Canadian historian, former newspaper columnist, retired public school teacher, speakerand ordained minister born in 1944 in Bracebridge, Ontario
Published works
"Gary" Denniss is the author of 38 books on the history of the District Municipality of Muskoka, (Muskoka District, at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, stretches north from the Severn River through rocky and forested lake land, bounded by Georgian Bay on the west and Algonquin Park to the east, connecting to twin district Parry Sound.)
- "Macaulay Township in Days Gone By" : Herald-Gazette Press, 1970, (Algoma University, Wishart Library).
- "The Pioneer Zimmerman Family of Macaulay Township", newspaper article, Herald-Gazette, Bracebridge, ON. April 2, 1970 by Gary Denniss.
- "A Brief History of the Schools in Muskoka", Herald-Gazette Press, 1972. by Gary Denniss.
- "Free Methodist Hill, a Centennial History", 1879-1979, Herald-Gazette, 1979, by Gary Denniss.
- "The Spirit of the Twelfth (1982); The story of the Orange Order in Canada", Gravenhurst Printing, 1982by Gary Denniss.
- "Muskoka - Ontario’s First District Municipality", 1995, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press.
- "A Brief History of the Churches in Muskoka", 1997, 1998 and 2003, Publisher: GarDen Press, 2003 (Algoma University, Wishart Library),
- "The Story of Springdale Park", Publisher: Springdale Park Spiritual Association, 1998. ISBN 0968413501, by Gary Denniss.
- "Educating Muskoka District", 1999, ISBN 0-9686224-2-9, by Gary Denniss.
- "The Educational Heritage of Muskoka", 2001 (History of the Muskoka Board of Education), ISBN 0-9686224-1-0, by Gary Denniss.
- "The Past Before Us: A History of Free Methodist Camp Meetings in Muskoka, 2002, ISBN 0-9686224-2-9, by Gary Denniss.
- "In Loving Memory: The History of Langford Cemetery", 2006 (collection of obituaries), by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press.
- "Going to School in Macaulay", 2010, ISBN 0-9813073-2-9by Gary Denniss.
- "The Holditch Family Reunion", Sept. 2013, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press.
- "Historic Routes of Bracebridge", 2012, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press.
- "Bracebridge Connections", Vol. 1, 2014, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press.
- "Bracebridge Connections", Vol. 2, 2015, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press.
- "Bracebridge in the Fifties", 2016, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press
- "Bracebridge in the Sixties", 2017, by Gary Denniss, GarDen Press
- "Muskoka Scrapbook" (series of eight books: Individual years, 1926, 1936, 1946, 1956, 1966, 1976 (two volumes), 1952. by Gary Denniss.
- "A Good Town Continues - Bracebridge 1915-1999", contributed to by Gary Denniss.
- "The Orange Lodge and its' History in Muskoka", 1999, by Gary Denniss.
- "Titch of Muskoka (a seven-part series)" by Gary Denniss.
- "Muskoka Scrapbook -a five-part series of books on World War 1" -1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918): Volume 1 ISBN 978-0-9686224-4-5, Volume 2 ISBN 978-0-9686224-6-9, Volume 3 ISBN 978-0-9686224-7-6, Volume 4 ISBN 978-0-9686224-9-0, Volume 5 ISBN 978-0-9813073-1-2, by Gary Denniss."Muskoka Scrapbook - Speaker Series", sponsored by Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society", First speaker, Gary Denniss, Sun., April 22, 2007.
Reviews
- "Among local Historians, Gary Denniss is Royalty", by Ted Currie, Muskoka Today, Nov. 3-17 issue, 1995.
Awards/Honors
- Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement, presented by Lt. Gov. David Onley, Feb. 21, 2013
- Heritage Community Recognition Award, presented to Mr. Denniss at the Rene Caisse Theatre, the Town of Bracebridge, by Councillor Steve Clement and C. Hammond, June 27, 2012
- Robert J. Boyer Award, "honours the dedication of individuals in our community who work to keep the natural and cultural history of our region alive", presented to Gary Denniss by the Board of Directors, Muskoka Conservancy, May 17, 2013.
Biography
Gary Denniss was born at Bracebridge Memorial Hospital on May 31, 1944 to Frank Edwin Denniss II (1908-2003), and Jesse Evelyn Arnott (1917-1991). Mr. Denniss taught in the public schools in the Bracebridge, Ontario area (Wah Wah Taysee, Cochrane, Bracebridge, Vankoughnet, Huntsville, and Macaulay) until his retirement in 1998. He continues to live in Bracebridge, where he writes, teaches piano, and officiates at weddings and funerals. Since 1991, Mr. Denniss has held a leadership role in the maintenance of Bracebridge veterans' gravesites and Langford Cemetery, Macaulay Township.