Dennis Walker Short

Reverend Dennis Walker Short, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and esteemed minister, passed away peacefully in La Verne, California on December 8, 2024, at 82. Born on February 2, 1942, in Long Beach, California, to George Walker and Lucille Short, Dennis spent his formative years in San Dimas, laying the foundation for a life dedicated to service and faith.

In 1959, he graduated from Bonita High School, located in LaVerne, California, and that fall he entered Chapman University with an athletic scholarship that paid one-half of his tuition. He met Linda Hanson at a gathering in the sanctuary of the Orange First Christian Church on the first day of her freshman year in 1961. They were married the following June 10, 1962. They have two sons, Mark and Steve Short who both graduated from Chapman. Mark and his wife Karen have 2 Daughters and 3 Grandsons. Steve and his wife Jenn have a Daughter and 2 Sons.

Dennis graduated from Chapman in 1964 and entered Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he received his Masters of Divinity in 1968. Called to be a half-time Associate Pastor of the Pacific Southwest Regional Church as Minister of Urban Life and Director of the Reconciliation Program in the summer of 1968, he also served as a half-time Associate Minister of United Christian Church in Los Angeles. In 1969, he became a full-time member of the Pacific Southwest Regional Church Staff.

In 1975, Chapman University called Dennis to be Chaplain and Campus Minister. In the late 1970's he was one of the founders of the Peace Studies Program. Dennis earned his M.A. in Counseling Psychology in 1985. During his tenure at Chapman, Dennis always had a staff of two to seven student assistants, with over 20 of those students having gone into ministry. He served as pastor to campus administration, faculty, staff, and students. Dennis retired from Chapman in 1991 and was bestowed with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. After Chapman, he remained active in regional concerns including the Social Concerns Committee and the Pro-Reconciliation Anti-Racism Committee of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Denomination, and served as chair or co-chair of each of these important regional committees.

Dennis later went on to serve as Interim Minister at several Southern California Churches, including Garden Grove First Christian Church, the Community Church Congregational (United Church of Christ) in Corona del Mar, Harbor Christian Church in Newport Beach, Downey Memorial Christian Church, and Covina Christian Church, where his kindness and wisdom touched countless lives.

Throughout his life, Dennis didn't just talk about his beliefs regarding peace, equality, and social justice. He let his actions speak for him. As a college freshman, he picketed the Woolworths store in Santa Ana, California, because they would not serve African Americans. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at Chapman University. Dennis had the honor of spending time with Dr. King before he spoke, and also drove with Dr. King to the Los Angeles airport along with another classmate following the event. In 1965, he joined fellow students, faculty, and National Disciple Peace Fellowship members on a bus from Indianapolis to Montgomery, Alabama, where they joined Dr. King for the last five miles of the march he led from Selma, Alabama to the courthouse steps in Montgomery.

Dennis and his long-time friend, Rev. Larry Hixon, created the Regional Unity Walk in 1970, which has raised more than $500,000 for All Peoples Center and Eastmont Community Center over the past 50+ years. In the late 1970s, Dennis helped organize the Orange Crop Walk which continued for several years.

In 1983, Dennis and seven others knelt in front of a bus carrying nuclear weapons dealers from a South Coast Plaza Hotel to an Arms Bazaar at the Anaheim Convention Center across from Disneyland. And, in the late 1980's he helped organize a group of 50 Chapman students and staff who participated in one of the largest anti-nuclear demonstrations in U.S. history.

After being called to the Community Church in Corona del Mar in 1993, Dennis joined the coordinating committee for the Newport Beach Hunger Walk, continuing his active participation until 2010. His commitment to interfaith work spanned many years, including co-founding the Orange County Interfaith Peace Ministry in 1980 and serving as president of the Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council for several years.

Dennis and Linda came to reside at the Hillcrest Retirement Community in La Verne, where he continued to inspire those around him with his unwavering faith and gentle spirit.

His final resting place will be at the Chapman University Fish Interfaith Center Columbarium and Garden in Orange, California.

A celebration of his life for Dennis will be held at 10:00 AM on January 25, 2025, at the Fish Interfaith Center at the Wallace All Faiths Chapel located on the campus of Chapman University, where friends and family will gather to honor the legacy of a man who dedicated his life to serving others and spreading peace, love, and hope.

Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dennis's memory to the Chapman University Church Relations Discretionary Fund (chapman.edu/give-to-doc/), which supports Disciples on Campus. His impact on the lives of so many will be forever cherished, and he will be deeply missed.