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Dery Bennett: Defender Of The Ocean - Friends of lifelong environmentalist gather in his memory
By John Burton
SANDY HOOK - The large crowd that gathered in the chapel at Fort Hancock last Saturday, Feb. 27 had come to honor the memory of lifelong environmentalist Dery Bennett and to "collectively appreciate the way he touched all of our lives," said his daughter, Becca Bennett.
The crowd of family, friends and colleagues was so large that many who attended had to watch the service on video from the nearby Fort auditorium.
Derickson W. Bennett, best known as Dery, died last December at 79. Over the course of his career, the Fair Haven resident waged many battles on behalf of the environment.
Bennett, a Philadelphia native, helped found the local chapter of the American Littoral Society, headquartered at Fort Hancock's Building 18, where he served as president of the organization for more than 35 years.
Bennett also laid the groundwork for the establishment of other environmental advocacy groups, including Clean Ocean Action, where he was president for 25 years, and the New York/New Jersey Baykeeper, along with many others.
"He was tireless and selfless in his dedication to a cause," said Becca, becoming teary-eyed as she spoke about her father.
Bennett was also a writer who produced numerous articles on a wide range of topics over the years.
While many were related to environmental issues, others went further afield.
Becca read a portion of one of her father's works titled, "The Art of Surf Fishing," written under the pseudonym "Owen Hatteras" (He would regularly used pen names for his articles, according to his daughter.), The message of that article was, "find joy in the moment," Becca said. "Wherever you are," she concluded, speaking to Dery, "I wish you an eternity of uninterrupted fishing."
"He was such a positive influence on our lives," noted U.S. Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), who told of working with Bennett for many years on many issues to preserve the waterways and allow for public access to beaches around the state and the country.
He was a scientist, a writer, an activist. "He really was an intellectual," the congressman said.
"He could have done almost anything in life," Pallone said. "But he decided to dedicate his life to saving the ocean."
Speaker after speaker at the service noted how Bennett worked with Pallone and other national lawmakers to bring about the passage of both federal and state legislation that markedly helped protect valuable national resources.
His work on behalf of the environment was also highlighted in a clip from a New Jersey Public Network program The Coast Keeper (1990).
"He was always willing to put the hard work into it," Pallone said.
Gordon Litwin, a longtime friend who served as attorney for the littoral society, said that before Bennett, there was no such thing as wetlands regulations in New Jersey, adding that Bennett and Pallone also fought to close the contaminated mud dumps off the coast.
"There was always the knowledge that Dery thought the issue was important," Litwin said.
Along with his unswerving dedication to the environment, speaker after speaker talked about Bennett's devilish sense of humor, detailing his love for the old banana peel pratfall, and the gentle - and sometimes not so gentle - poke in the ribs.
Tim Dillingham, who is now the littoral society's executive director, recalled a time when an irate oceanfront homeowner called the society's office, seeking advice on how to get rid of muskrats that were popping up in the yard. The homeowner said he was told to lace sweet potatoes with strychnine and feed it to them. Could the society recommend anything else? Dillingham said Bennett, "advised the man to sell his house to someone who loved muskrats."
"He had those smiling eyes and these huge bare feet," remembered Cindy Zipf, executive director for Clean Ocean Action, who recalled Bennett's penchant for abandoning shoes as often as he could.
"The fun of fighting for the ocean with Dery," she said, "was the fun of the journey taken."
"He took me on a hell of a ride," she said.
Mark, Tyler and Brett Thompson, three young brothers, told of Bennett's practical jokes and his sense of fun. "Dery once jumped into a pool with all his clothes on," Mark told the crowd, "because a 15-year-old, whom he'd never met before, told him he wouldn't do it."
And after Bennett did it, the 15-year-old followed suit, Mark said.
"Dery showed us how important it was to slow down and enjoy life," Tyler said.
A group of middle-aged men showed photos and told tales of their annual "Shad Trip" with Bennett, a canoe and camping excursion taken every Memorial Day weekend, where they ate too much and drank too much and lied to each other too much.
"He didn't like neckties; he didn't like shoes," added Willie de Camp, who served on the littoral society's and Save Barnegat Bay's boards with Bennett. "That came between him and the earth."
"You can't cry or feel bad," Pallone advised. "Because, ultimately, he accomplished what he set out to do."
