Mike Dennisuk

4476 Hillside Dr

Ann Arbor, Mich. 48105

mvdennisuk@comcast.net

November 17

Two daughters - Marisa (30) teaching 6th grade in Crestwood District, she is getting married this summer (July 30,2011). She's marrying a great guy, Greg. They are both teachers. Lauren (25) just completed her first year of medical school at UM. It's good to have Lauren back in the area after 2 years in Baltimore (getting her Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins).

Update (9/10/12): Marisa and Greg have been married for a little over a year. They gave us Max, our first grandchild on May 29th!! Lauren is into her third year of medical school at Michigan

Update (6/11/14): Lauren just graduated from med school. She is starting her Ob/Gyn residency at U of Cincinnati. Max is two and the joy of our lives!

Update 1/4/17: Lauren is in her third year of residency at U of Cincinnati.

Update 12/19/20: Marisa (and her husband Greg) live in Canton with Max, 8, and Stella, 5. They are both teachers and Greg is the Head Football Coach at Plymouth HS.
Lauren (and her husband Matt) live in Cincinnati with their baby Hazel. Lauren is an OB/Gyn and Matt is a Nurse Anesthesist.

One magnificent little guy named Max!!

Update August 2015: make that 2 Stella Mia Souldorian came into our lives on January 3rd

Update 1/4/17: Max (4) and Stella (just turned 2)

Update 12/19/20: Max (8), Stella (5) and Hazel (almost 1)

Always Downriver until 2017 when we moved to Ann Arbor

I have been married to my wife Debbie since 1975. She went to Lincoln Park HS and we met working Parks and Rec in the summer of '71.

Most everyone lives downriver

Steve Sipos and I see each other quite a bit. I still keep in close touch with Ed Somensatto. I work with Kathy McCarthy (Pianelli) and Yvonne Charrette (Marshall). I have been able to reconnect with Bruce McGlincy a few times over the last several years.

Update 1/4/17: We see Ed and Marilyn Somensatto several times a year (when they travel to Michigan or we go to Florida or DC). I was able to reconnect with Ray Kilmanis, John Nowacki and Vic Beregszaszy recently. I bump into Greg Suchyta occasionally and we recently exchanged some emails about HS track memories. Facebook connections to classmates are great.

Travel more

I have worked as a School Social Worker for the Woodhaven School District for the last 25 years. I coach the high school Cross Country and Track teams. This keeps me pretty active year round. I'm also involved in the state track coaches association. Spending time with our daughters and grandson.

Update 1/4/17: Retired from my School Social Work position with the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District last June (Kathy McCarthy Pianelli and I retired the same day). I continue to coach Cross Country and Track for the district.

Grand Canyon (always); Monterey Pennisula; St. John's V.I.(once); Leelenau Pennisula

Happily married for 33 years with two great kids. Lots of great times with friends and family. I graduated from EMU (BS-'73) and UM (MSW-'81). I've been lucky enough to work with a lot of great kids (both as a social worker and a coach). I love running and have finished 24 marathons (and one trip to Boston). I am entered in my 25th(?) marathon in January 2012 in Houston. I have gone Rim2Rim at the Grand Canyon 10 times with my college buddy Neil from California. We have trip 11 planned for June 2012.

Update (9/10/12): Our grandson, Max, was born on May 29, 2012. Also
this year we went down to Houston to watch the Olympic Trials Marathon, traveled to Europe with a group of students from our high school (London, Paris, Florence, and Rome) and made my 11th Rim2Rim of he Grand Canyon.

Update 1/4/17: Did another Rim2Rim in 2014; took another trip to Europe with a student group (2015); had my hip replaced two days after we got back; attended the USA Olympic T&F Trials in Eugene 2016

Update 7/14/17: Elected to the Woodhaven High School Athletic Hall of Fame this past March (2017). Just completed a 4 day hike on the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.

Update 12/19/20: I was the 2020 recipient of the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association (MITCA) Sweeney Award and became a member of the MITCA Hall of Fame.

Australia and New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Hawaii, Spain, Portugal, Patagonia

Sports (to do) - Running (obviously), golf, wallyball
Sports (to watch) - Track, Cross Country, Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball, Golf
Books - World According to Garp, Great Gatsby, Young Men and Fire, To Kill a Mockingbird, anything by Steinbeck, Hemmingway, Richard Russo, Pat Conroy or Michael Connelley
Movies - Casablanca, Shane, It's a Wonderful Life, Ordinary People, Godfather, The Departed, Miracle
Music - Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Miles Davis, Yo Yo Ma, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and many, many more

depends on the day

High School: Mr Friedman and Sister Eleanor College:Sallie Churchill (UM)

I'm not a shy as I used to be.

The basketball games senior year.

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" - Pre

"Trials of miles, Miles of trials" -John L. Parker, "Once A Runner"

The Canyon trips, run the Boston Marathon, hitch hiked across the country with Jerry Vilag after we graduated from EMU, took my dad to visit my brother in Finland. Attended the Olympic Swimming Trials in 2000 and watched Ed Somensatto's son, Jeff, just miss making the Olympic team (he was out touched in the 200 Fly by a 15 year old kid from Baltimore named Phelps). Our family enjoyed a trip to Guatemala to visit the Somensatto's when Ed was working there. Went to the Winter Olympics in 1980 (no we did not see any Hockey but it was a pretty crazy weekend). Sunrise on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Watching our daughter Lauren run the Boston Marathon (2010). River
Rafting trips to the New River in West Virginia. Parasailing in Cancun.
Whale watching in Monterey, California.

Update 9/10/12: the trip to Europe was awesome! We had so much fun with the kids and saw so many exciting things.

Update 6/11/2014: Heading to the Grand Canyon for our 12th Rim 2 Rim crossing (bad hip and all). We are planning another spring break Europe trip with the school. Dead set on going to the Olympic Trials in Eugene in '16.

Update 1/4/17: The O Trials were AMAZING! It was pure heaven for a track geek. A big plus was hanging out with some of my former athletes and bunch of my coaching pals in TrackTown USA for 12 days. Cool side trips to Nike Campus, Crater Lake and a drive up the Oregon Coast. Can't wait for 2020.

Update 7/14/17: 4 day hike in the Peruvian Andes on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The 10 day trip was challenging and extraordinary. I'm glad we did now because I'm not sure we could handle physical demands in a year or two.

I have coached cross country and track at Woodhven HS for the past 26 years. It has been a great joy to work with so many great kids and coaches. I am pretty proud of the program we have been able to establish.

Update 6/11/2014: I decided to step down as the head track coach at WHS. After 28 years it is time to let one of the younger coaches take over. I plan to still coach CC and help out with the track programs. I've made many great friends and coached some wonderful young people. I still plan on working as a Social Worker for a few more years.

Update 1/4/17: Retired from SSW position in June of '16. I am still coaching and having a blast with it. Great kids and a driving passion. This spring I take on the NEW challenge of coaching our Middle School team. Can't wait!!

Update 7/14/17: The last 6 months have been crazy. I coached Middle School track for the first time (and had a blast!), we sold our house in Trenton (lived there 25 years), moved to Ann Arbor, and took the trip of a lifetime to Peru to hike the Incan Trail and see Machu Picchu.

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