University of South Dakota Athletics

History

The Dan H. Lennon endowment was created by gifts from Marjorie E. Lennon and other members of the Lennon family and numerous friends in honor of Dan Lennon.

Dan Lennon was born in Vermillion, S.D., in 1908. He was a graduate of Vermillion High School and received a B.S. in business administration from USD in 1935. He coached USD freshmen football from 1935-37. He married USD alumna, Rosemary Walker, in 1937 and together they move to Hot Springs, S.D., where he taught football, track and basketball.

Lennon served in the US Navy during World War II from 1943-46. He taught and coached football one year (1946-47) at South Dakota School of Mine and Technology. Dan and Rosemary had two children, Richard "Dick" (USD BA '66, MBA '68) and Patricia "Patsy" (USD BSED '70). Dan returned to USD to teach and coach from 1947 until he retired in 1975. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at USD and earned a Master's degree in 1956. At USD he taught and coached basketball, football and track, and he coached the Vermillion swim team. His track teams dominated North Central Conference track from 1957-67, finishing either first or second in the conference each of those years.

Rosemary passed away in 1959. Two years later, 1961, Dan married Marjorie Abell. Upon his retirement in 1975, the USD Invitational track meet, which Dan inaugurated in 1949, was renamed "Dan Lennon Relays" in his honor. Dan was inducted into the USD Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. He passed away October 4, 2002.

Marjorie (nee Moser) Lennon was born in Merrill, Iowa, on April 7, 1912. She attended the University of South Dakota and graduated with honors in 1934 (BA biology). She was a Chi Omega and was active in her sorority throughout her life. After graduation, she taught and was the principal for the School for the Blind in Gary, S.D. In 1937, she married Martin Abell. After World War II, Martin and Marjorie move to California where she again taught visually impaired children. She and Martin had two children, Roger and Susan Rene.

Martin passed away in 1960. She married Dan Lennon in 1961. She and her children moved back to Vermillion where she continued teaching in the Vermillion public schools and was active with PEO and other community service organizations until her retirement in 1970. She and Dan eventually made their permanent home in Mesa, Ariz. After Dan's death in 2002, she continued to live independently until she had a stroke. She passed away on Feb. 8, 2012, just a few months before her 100th birthday.

Fund Notes

Started in 2002, earnings generated are used to provide scholarships to undergraduate student-athletes participating in the USD track and field program. Preference is given to students with a demonstrated financial need and who meet the standard of excellence set by Dan Lennon, including strong academic performance and good sportsmanship.