Bettie Lennet Denny

In retirement, Bettie Lennett Denny has taken the opportunity to pursue her lifelong ambition to write. Her newest book, IN THE WAKE OF MADNESS: MY FAMILY’S ESCAPE FROM THE NAZIS, blends history and memoir. She is also the author of two novels: BUYING MY DEAD, set in her adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon and ANGEL UNFOLDING, set in Montana.

As Community Affairs Manager for the ABC Television affiliate in Omaha, Bettie focused on social ills and solutions, helping non-profits tell their stories and creating campaigns that encouraged civic involvement. The work kindled her sense of empathy, and reinforced the idea that stories connect us.

Bettie’s childhood home in Queens shared walls with the Simon family, whose son, Paul, became a legend in the music industry. Fate took her to Omaha, where she graduated from the University of Nebraska. Moving westward, Bettie and her husband Pat now happily reside in Portland with family close by.