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| Murdered professor found in parked car By David F. Smydra Jr.--[ david@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 1:12 PM PST A 59-year-old East Bay college professor was found murdered in the back seat of a car parked near Montara State Beach shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday. The grisly discovery unfolded when San Mateo County Sheriff's Deputy Keith O'Dell spotted the car in the small turnout just south of Devil's Slide. O'Dell approached the driver, Oakland resident Troy Thomas, 44, and began talking to him. O'Dell then spotted an arm sticking out of a blanket in the back seat and called for backup. Authorities detained Thomas while emergency responders examined the body of John Dennis. Dennis was pronounced dead at the scene. By Monday morning, Dennis' colleagues at St. Mary's College of California and the City College of San Francisco were mourning a champion of his students. "When I walked into the chapel at 11:30 today it was filled with over 400 people," said Michael Beseda, St. Mary's vice president for communications, speaking of a prayer service held on Monday in Dennis' honor. "It was just a testament to what a great soul this man was." The Sheriff's Office has handed the case over to the Oakland Police Department based on early interviews with Thomas. Oakland homicide investigators went to Dennis' home early Sunday morning and discovered "evidence of a crime at the home," said Oakland Police Department spokesman Officer Roland Holmgren, in an e-mail to the Review. Holmgren also said that the San Mateo County Coroner's Office had determined the cause of death to be a gunshot. Coroner Robert Foucrault, however, said the cause of death was pending. Oakland police arrested Thomas after he admitted to murdering Dennis and planning to dispose of his body. Thomas will be prosecuted by the Alameda County district attorney. Beseda, who knew Dennis, said that the history teacher was scheduled to begin a new class on Monday called the Collegiate Seminar Program. "It was slated to meet for the first time today at 12:40," he said. "Sometimes a term like 'much-beloved' could get overused. But in this case it was really an understatement." Dennis taught at St. Mary's since 1979 and spent a dozen years directing its "High Potential Program." The program targeted students from disadvantaged backgrounds who benefited from additional guidance during their college careers, Beseda said. He described it as an "academic boot camp." Dennis earned his bachelor's degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He followed that with a master's and a Ph.D. in African History at Stanford University. Dennis also taught at CCSF since 1980, and his faculty profile on that school's Web site states that he was active as a lay chaplain and preacher. The site also quotes Dennis' thoughts about teaching. "It's not about me; it's about the students," Dennis wrote. "They always rise to the level of my highest expectations." |