George Michael Dentes

Obituary
GEORGE MICHAEL DENTES
ITHACA - George Michael Dentes, age 52, of 11 Perry Lane, Ithaca, NY, died suddenly on Tuesday, October 31, 2006, of a heart attack on his way to work in Albany, NY.Born May 28, 1954 in Ithaca, George was the fifth of seven children of the late Michael John and Adamandia Zaharis Dentes. George attended South Hill Elementary School, DeWitt Junior High School, and Ithaca High School, graduating fifth in a class of 588 in 1972 while serving as Senior Class President. George played football and baseball in high school and was captain of both sports in his senior year. He was selected as an All-Conference baseball catcher and an All-State linebacker for the undefeated Little Red team. George remained an ardent supporter and alumnus of IHS his entire life.George attended Cornell University's College of Engineering where he was a Cornell National Scholar, recipient of the Armington Memorial Scholarship, and the McMullen Engineering Scholarship. He was also a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, The Red Key Junior Men's honorary societies. He received the Ray A. Westendorp Memorial Award for excellence in engineering and athletics and was captain of both the Freshman Baseball and undefeated Freshman Football teams. He played Varsity Football and Baseball for a year and then joined the Sprint Football team as a senior - a season he thoroughly enjoyed, in which the team tied for the CSFL championship. George was nicknamed "G of I" by his fraternity brothers and teammates and heartily enjoyed their subsequent visits to his hometown. He graduated in 1976, earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with distinction. It will come as no surprise to those who knew George as a lawyer that he won the Class of '76 Public Speaking Contest.George received his J.D. from the Cornell Law School in 1979, graduating cum laude. While attending Cornell, he was a member of the National Moot Court Team, a vice chancellor of the Moot Court Board, and a Kaiser Prize winner for excellence in Moot Court.George was admitted to the Bar in NY in 1979. His first position was in patent law, working for the firm of Fish & Neave in Manhattan. In 1981, he chose to follow his passion and took a position with the New York County District Attorney's office, where he was assigned to the trial division with special assignments in the homicide department. After returning to Ithaca in 1986, he was in private practice in the firm of Hines & Dentes. An adjunct faculty member at the Cornell Law School, he taught courses in legal practice and trial advocacy until he was elected Tompkins County District Attorney in November of 1989. He served in this capacity for 16 years. During his tenure he created the freeware program "CrimeTime" to assist the legal profession in NYS with criminal sentencing possibilities. George was an Executive Board Member of the District Attorney's Association from 1994 through 2005, a 2002 Recipient of the Hogan-Morgenthau Associates Award for distinguished service by an alumnus of the New York County District Attorney's Office, and the 2005 New York State Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section Outstanding Prosecutor. He was currently employed by the New York Prosecutors Training Institute in Albany, NY.A lifelong member of St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church of Ithaca, he was also an Ithaca Kiwanis Club member. He was past treasurer and a league coach of the Ithaca Babe Ruth League, Kiwanis baseball coach and Small Fry football coach. He had three simple rules for youth sports: always hustle, never argue with the umpires, and be positive.Of all these activities, George most enjoyed time with his immediate and extended family. His children say, "He was the most devoted husband and father that any family could ever ask for." He inspired them through his upstanding, loving, hard-working, selfless example, always putting the needs of others before his own. For George, his family always came first.His hobbies included computer programming, reading, videotaping high school sports, and in recent years, cooking with his wife, Elsie. An AV enthusiast even in high school, he used the computer to create videos of his childrens' sporting events. He also created highlight videos for their teams and other team members. These videos helped students further their athletic and college careers and provide a remembrance for their families and friends. He was a tireless and enthusiastic supporter of IHS Sports and continually worked to honor past coaches and fundraise for the football, wrestling, and baseball teams.George is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Elsie P. Little Dentes. They were IHS and Cornell classmates, and married December 31, 1977, in Ithaca. George and Elsie have three children, Tessia, Cornell Class of 2005, Scott, Cornell Class of 2007, and Zacharias, Cornell Class of 2009. Also surviving him are his mother-in-law, Barbara Little; and six brothers and sisters, John Dentes (Marie) of Aurora, NY, Demetra Dentes of Ithaca, Evan Dentes (Melina) of Jamesville, NY, Carol Dentes Wilhelm (Gary) of Ithaca, Eleni Constance Scott (Tom) of Germantown, TN, and Antonia Dentes (Owen Powers) of Chevy Chase, MD. His aunt Constance Ward of Blairsville, GA, and Uncle Peter Zaharis of Ithaca, NY; as well as two goddaughters, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, also survive him.George will be missed most as the kind and caring husband, father, brother, and friend that he was.Calling hours will be held at the Bangs Funeral Home on Friday, November 3, 2006, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. The Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday at St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church at the corner of Seneca and Geneva Streets. Burial will follow in Lakeview Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the George M. Dentes Fund to support the IHS Wrestling program. Address donations to the George M. Dentes Fund, c/o Jean Proto, Tompkins Trust Company, P.O. Box 460, Ithaca, NY 14851.