Remembering John Noel Dempsey: A Man Who Did Good

At a time when governors have been sent to jail, presidents have been impeached, and legislatures seem dedicated to gridlock, and adherence to blind partisanship trumps all else, it's not hard to fathom why American people have become skeptical about politicians and cynical about the entire political process and downright disgusted at what is seen to be governmental shenanigans. It may come, then, as comfort to some and dubious to others to read about a politician who has been dubbed "the genuine article," a man who personified the adage "what you see is what you get," a person who believed that life was about giving and not about getting. That's the kind of man I grew up knowing, the kind of politician, who would no longer fit the current mold, the person I am honored to call "my father."

E.M. Dempsey is the eldest son of John N. Dempsey and Mary Frey Dempsey. He was born and raised in the small mill town of Putnam. CT. Starting at age fourteen, Ed studied for the priesthood in Connecticut, Rochester, New York, and lssy-les-Mounlineaux, France (a Parisian suburb). He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Norwich, CT in 1967. Although now retired, he continues with priestly duties in parishes on weekends and in giving retreats as invited. In his active days, Ed worked in the field of social services, principally as the Executive Director of a community - based behavioral health agency. In retirement, Ed has returned home to Connecticut's Quiet Corner and the village of North Woodstock.