While at UVM
While at UVM in the early 1960s, Dennis ("Den" to his friends) was a soccer player, an "independent" paddleball player, and an accounting major, all factors that meant he "did not have much time for photography at UVM since soccer took up 3-plus hour practices every day plus schoolwork."
While photography would have to wait, his devotion to soccer paid off.
As a player, he saw his team go from being a club sport all the way to varsity and then to Yankee Conference Co-champions (sharing the honor with the University of Massachusetts) in 1965.
After graduation, photography would come back into focus and would remain so - as would the close relationships formed while at UVM.
Getting Serious about Photography, Family and Professional Life after Graduation
His love for photography blossomed during a family vacation to Bermuda when he was 10 years old, and went on to be the center of his working life as well as his creative pursuits. In an email this winter, he shared how photography, family and career intertwined:
After I joined Kodak (he would go on to have a 30-year career), I used their darkrooms and learned how to do prints and develop slide film. Three years at Kodak, then in the army for two years. As a photographer, I was levied to Germany and during any free time traveled to various countries in Europe, creating thousands of photographs In the Army I also developed film for soldiers and made hundreds of prints for the solders on weekends. While stationed in Louisiana as a specialist operating their computers, it was too far to drive back to home in Pennsylvania, so an army buddy said stay with us in Texas. I agreed. My friend and his wife, their friend Elaine and I became friends, and three years later, following many trips to Texas, Elaine and I were married. We then moved back to Rochester, New York to continue working for Kodak in the Information Technology business. Over time I was invited to join the prestigious Kodak Travel Club This was the turning point. Most members of the Kodak Travel Clubs were in their 50s or older, and my wife Elaine and I were in our late 20s. It was quite an honor. The Club gave me ideas and tips on perfecting my images. Each month we would travel to a member's house and preview a show, and I'd receive more wisdom from the older members on analyzing the preview presentations - things like what to take to make a picture mesmerizing: light usually before dawn, special clouds, fog, mist, scout the area a day before if possible. I also entered many Kodak photograph competitions and did well. A few years later I gave my first of four travel log presentations at the Kodak theater which was packed and sat over 1,500 people! This meant a one-hour presentation of slides, which was a little scary the first time.
After these presentations, people urged him to create a book to showcase his work, but busy days working and raising a family (before long, he and Elaine welcomed daughters Sherry and Stephanie, who would go on to provide five grandchildren and "numerous" great grandchildren) didn't leave him the time.
Celebrating the Splendor of the World around Him - through photography
He and wife Elaine retired at age 55 to travel the US, providing both time and creative inspiration that led to an abundance of photographic images. He says that's when the book ideas began, and he started showing at craft fairs large and small (including, he notes, a particularly pivotal event at the Old Faithful Inn at which he was honored by being the single person featured).
As a self-described avid hiker, he found himself face to face with some of the most beautiful locations in the U.S., and his technical proficiency meant he has been able to share those vistas with many. Below are the covers that include just a few of the breathtaking images from his first seven books.
A Dedication for a Deep Friendship that Began at UVM
It was with the publication of his eighth book, Utah Splendor, that he was able to bring together his art and his appreciation for his dear friend from his UVM soccer days.
On the fourth page of that work is the dedication that caught our eyes and hearts in his 2024
Class Note:
This book is dedicated to my lifelong friend and fellow UVM [University of Vermont] soccer player,Bill “Chubby” Willey. Chubby was team captain, and he nicknamed me “Cement Toes,” shortened to“Toes,” because he described me as having a “heavy shot” along with my goal-scoring abilitiesanywhere from twenty to thirty-five yards away from the goal, always seeming to be game changersand/or game winners! Chubby, Ted Manning, and I, as players, along with our Coach Hal Greig, UVM Athletic DepartmentAdministrators, and the UVM President were uniquely instrumental in helping form UVM’s Men’sSoccer Program on a Club level in 1963. In 1964 UVM’s Men’s Soccer Program became a VarsitySport at the Division I level. In 1965 our senior season culminated in a 7 – 2 record while also beingcrowned as Yankee Conference Co-Champions. Along the way, we each received WCAX-TV’sVermont Collegiate All-State Soccer honors as well as being named All-Yankee Conference designees. I (was) humbled to learn Chubby (had) recently nominated me for the UVM Hall of Fame for soccerrecognizing my “Points Average” and “Goal Average” are 2nd all-time compared to the other top-fourmembers already in the Hall of Fame. Bill has been a friend for many decades. When I ask for comments on a new book cover or text, he willevoke in an elegant, unpredictable, and whimsical manner a passion creating an explosion of commentsworthy of controlled thinking and exploration on my part. His compassion, strong sportsmanship,incredible sense of humor, attention to details, and honesty have been a cornerstone of our relationship.During a very difficult time when I needed support, Bill was offering suggestions and potentialsolutions. He also mentioned many times to love Elaine and to enjoy each other while you can.
Now Dennis is preparing to publish his ninth work, one that will feature 300 "stunning photos from across America of mood and memory."
He reflects on images of mist and sunrise, mountains and waterfalls, and he looks forward to keeping on telling the stories of the special places that have meant so much, and offered so much beauty.
Working on this latest book evokes his decades of art and experience, he says. "As I paddled gently over the reflective waters before dawn or hiked a mountain peak in darkness, all these visions return to me, still vivid after 40 years of photographing America. This new book will transport you through my passion for photography - instants too vivid to forget, with my favorite breathtaking landscapes of America and my photographic perspective."
And we are grateful that all of these years later, he brings these images back to UVM to share.
Learn More
UVM alumni are creative, passionate, caring people making a difference wherever they live. Just a few more of the stories of alumni lives that we've gotten to share recently:
Cami Davis '76 on Art, Ecology and UVM Campus Life in the 70s
Class Notes Expanded: Jules '62 and Effin '64 Older May Be Trying to Save the World through Writing
And how about your own story? We welcome your own Class Notes any time, which will be included in an upcoming issue of the University of Vermont Magazine (formerly "Vermont Quarterly), and published online. Share your news and updates here.
Writer's AI Disclosure: All of the research and writing for this story were completed by humans relying on email and the US Postal Service. The photographic images were taken by UVM alumnus Dennis Linnehan. No AI, generative or otherwise, was consulted or used.
Class Notes Extended: Dennis Linnehan '66, Catamount, Photographer, Friend
Cheryl Carmi
Dec 31, 2025