Whayne

Remembering Community Activist Dennis (Denny) R. Whayne

The Unite News publication remembers former City Council Member and community activist Denny Whayne. The following article is composed of Whayne’s obituary and local articles. by Unite News Staff

Dennis Ray Whayne was born on January 8, 1945 in Springfield, Missouri. He was the youngest of two sons born to the late Wallace M. Whayne and Jeannie Christine Ingram-Whayne. Dennis was preceded in death by both parents and older brother, James Whayne, Sr. along with his ace-boon-coon/ brother Nate Adams. Dennis attended Lincoln School for three years until the Brown vs Board of Education integrated the schools in 1954. From there, he attended Boyd Elementary, Eastwood Jr. High School, and graduated from Central High School in 1963. In 1964, Dennis moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and united in marriage to Lynne Gail Peterson. From that union, two children were born: Billy and Chrystie. In 1972, Dennis moved back to Springfield, Missouri where his journey of political activism spawned. Along his political course, Dennis married Marva McCauley in 1989 and lovingly embraced her children and grandchildren as his own. Mayor Ken McClure, on behalf of himself and the Springfield City Council, expresses his extreme sympathy upon hearing of the passing of former City Councilman Denny Whayne. “It is a sad night,” McClure said. “Springfield has lost an icon who worked tirelessly to bring communities of people together.” Whayne was the first African-American elected to the City Council since the Council/Manager form of government was adopted in 1953 and served as the Zone 1 representative for two consecutive four-year terms. First elected in 2001, Whayne served until 2009 and was a member of the Finance, Plans and Policies, Administration, and Public Involvement committees. Whayne, who grew up in Springfield, joined the NAACP at 11 and later participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961. He continued his civil rights work in Tulsa, where racial tensions were high in the late 1960s. He moved back to Springfield in 1972 and served as president of the Springfield chapter of the NAACP from 1980 until 1988. He worked for the City’s Finance department from 1975 until 1985. City Council unanimously passed a resolution in 2018 honoring former Councilman Denny Whayne for his service on Council and his decades-long commitment to justice and equal rights. The Busch Municipal Building’s fourth-floor conference room was named at the time the “Councilman Denny Whayne Conference Room.” A plaque detailing his accomplishments with his photo adorns one of the walls in the room in which the City Council holds weekly workshops. When interviewed in 2018, Whayne said, “Being on City Council was one of the best experiences of my entire life. My mindset on the council was to try to move the city of Springfield forward.” Dennis Ray Whayne passed in peace at the age of 77. He was a devoted father, grandfather, and who shared his heart with two loving families.

Dennis (Denny) R. Whayne