JHS gym lights dedicated to Bennett

Jacksboro High School’s new gymnasium lights were dedicated to former superintendent Dennis Bennett with a plaque from E3 Entergral Solutions at a pep rally Friday, Nov. 8.

Bennett died in a U.S. 380 car crash Feb. 28 and a memorial was held in his honor at the JHS Gym March 4.

“The Jacksboro gym lighting project was donated in memory of a life well lived by Dennis Bennett, 1960 to 2019,” the plaque reads. “Mr. Bennett was superintendent of Jacksboro ISD from 2003 to 2016 and he was instrumental in all the new school building projects. He is commemorated and appreciated for his unwavering dedication to Jacksboro ISD and the Jacksboro community. After retirement, Dennis continued his service to Texas school districts in his work with E3 to improve the learning environment for children. E3 Entergral Solutions Inc. is honored to donate this project in Dennis Bennett’s memory.”

E3 Vice President of Sales, Doug Kirkley, spoke first at the pep rally.

“If I get emotional about this forgive me, but I have done this in front of a number of different boards and talking about Dennis brings tears to my eyes,” Kirkley said at the pep rally. “I don’t know how many of you knew him, but I got an opportunity to spend a lot of time with hime over the last two and a half years.”

Kirkley said when he left a company in Fort Worth to work for E3 he knew he and their president had to talk to Bennett, whom he had met once before over a burger.

“Our president, Klip Weaver, came in and set down at breakfast and introduced himself to Dennis,” he said. “Dennis probably a minute later excused himself. He had to go the restroom, and the president of the company looked at me with the thumbs up after one minute of spending time with Dennis Bennett. That is the kind of guy he was.”

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Nov. 20, edition of the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette.