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Dempseys receive Sertoma Service to Mankind award

Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Janet, left, and Terry Dempsey stand in front of a collection of gifts they have received from the many foreign exchange students they hosted.

NEW ULM — A local couple is being honored for their dedication to the community and opening their home to children.

Terry and Janet Dempsey have been awarded the Sertoma Club’s Service to Mankind Award. They will be honored during an annual banquet Tuesday, May 22, at the New Ulm Country Club. Social hour begins at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 on sale at the Chamber of Commerce.

“Terry and Janet have given of their time and talents for many years and in many different ways,” wrote nominators John and Maigread Vetter in the nomination form. “They are the first ones to volunteer when there is a need. They have been active promoters in the community when they were working and raising a family (including fostering many children) and still remain active in their retirement. Service to mankind is something the Dempseys live by.”

Terry served as a legislator in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1979 to 1992. His last two years he served as the minority leader of the Republicans.

He left the position a little early as the session wound down to become a judge, according to an April 1992 copy of Session Weekly.

Then-governor Arne Carlson appointed Terry to a district court position. He served for 10 years in the Watonwan County District Court, Terry said.

“You have the responsibility of making a decision, you cannot say ‘I do not want to think about this,'” Terry said. “You have to get the job done. Sometimes you know it is a very close to a yes or no, it is not a clear answer.”

Not everything was serious, however. Janet mentioned one of her students went to Terry to get his name changed, which was a nice way to see their impact on the local community.

Janet was a long-term kindergarten teacher at St. Mary’s before it became part of New Ulm Area Catholic Schools (NUACS).

Over the years the pair have opened their home to innumerable guests, particularly children. They fostered 15 children together.

One of the first was a 16-year-old who was on trial for theft. Terry was a public defender at the time and did not think the kid deserved to go to a halfway house or to jail.

The parents could not be reached, so the judge sent the child to stay at Terry and Janet’s house.

He was close with the Dempseys until he graduated, a ceremony Janet made him attend to get photos.

They quit fostering in the 1980s, but hosted a variety of foreign exchange students through the American Field Service (AFS) and Rotary.

Students came from countries such as Japan, Ecuador, India and Cyprus. The first student was from Scotland.

The student from India gave the two their largest culture shock. Janet recalled watching the student eat everything with her hands, even pumpkin pie. She used silverware in restaurants usually, but could without it just fine.

Throughout their time fostering and hosting kids, the Dempseys wanted to provide them with a comfortable time, going as far as purchasing pinball machines and arcade cabinets of games like “Asteroids.”

Most of the students they hosted still like to return to New Ulm whenever they come to the United States. The Dempseys are planning a July trip to Germany to visit a handful of former students as well.

The couple have served in many of New Ulm’s events. They earned the NUACS Distinguished Service Award in 1993 and the Farm City Hub Club Service to Agriculture Award in 2016.

Connor Cummiskey can be emailed at ccummiskey@nujournal.com.

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