During the Greensburg Optimist Club meeting on 5/22/25 they proudly awarded Dennis Fogle with the prestigious award of Optimist of the Year.
The meeting began with a story about the origin of the James E. Greiwe Memorial Optimist of the Year Award. In the fall of 1977, Jack Goodman was serving as President of the Optimists when tragedy struck Jack and his wife lost both of their sons in a heartbreaking accident. During this devastating time, Jim Greiwe, a close friend, was a pillar of support for the Goodmans. Jim’s unshakable positive outlook on life, even after being diagnosed with MS, left a lasting impression on everyone who knew him. Despite the hardships he faced, Jim remained an embodiment of optimism until his passing. To honor Jim’s remarkable spirit, Jack created this award to celebrate his enduring positivity, no matter the circumstances.
This morning’s meeting was well attended with club members, Dennis Fogle’s family, and James Greiwe’s family, Optimist Past President Rick Nobbe honored Dennis Fogle with a plaque, recognizing his dedication, positive spirit, and commitment to his community and peers.
Dennis is well known in Decatur County and can often be found volunteering his time or just supporting causes throughout the county. A few of his contributions mentioned during the ceremony highlighted his dedication to helping those that are in hospice care, cheer fund, Big Brother Big Sister, being a 4-H judge, singing in his choir in Oldenburg, and sitting on the hospital board.
Megan, a fellow actor at Tree County Players, stood and shared a heartfelt story about Dennis’s unwavering support for a mutual friend as she neared the end of her life and began her transition.
“As a fun fact, Dennis isn’t saved in my phone as ‘Dennis Fogle,’” Megan said with a smile. “He’s actually listed as ‘Fancy Feet Fogle.’”
Diana Robbins stood and stated that she has known Dennis through the years and spoke about how they first met. The story is common here in Decatur County- he was the neighbor to a family member of Dianna’s. Diana spoke about Dennis being a wealth of optimism when she needs it the most and Dennis’s dancing skills while performing at a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.
Rex McKinney, DCMH CEO spoke about Dennis’s greatest strengths being integrity and community. Rex joked about during his first week at DCMH Dennis was the only one who spoke to him while passing in the hallway. Rex said that he often times referred to Dennis as the DCMH Ambassador. Dennis worked at DCMH and held four different positions. Dennis smiled and said, “Yes, you kept putting me everywhere.” Rex said when Fogle retired they had a vacancy on the hospital board and as soon as his name was mentioned they knew that he would be a great fit.
Dennis expressed his gratitude, starting by thanking his family for being there and his wife for her unwavering support. “She puts up with me,” he joked.
He then shared, “I truly love the Optimist Club, and I love our community. I do whatever I can to help.”
Dennis continued, “I appreciate this recognition, and I always try to set a good example. My grandma used to tell me, ‘You always do good things for people because that will always come back to you in heaven.’ That’s the rule of thumb I live by.”
He smiled and added, “I try to leave everyone with a smile, to make them feel good about themselves. When you make people feel good, it makes you feel good, too.”
