The Tarkington Student Foundation is proud to present the 2024 Commitment to Education: TISD Employee Award to Dennis Shew. This award, given annually, honors a former or current employee who has made significant contributions to the education of Tarkington students. Shew was recognized during the 21st Annual Tarkington Round-Up held at noon on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Shew was born in Houston and lived there through his ninth-grade year before moving to Cleveland, where he graduated from Cleveland High School in 1977. He earned a BBA degree in Accounting from Sam Houston State University in 1982. Shew began his career as an auditor, working with a CPA firm for eight years, where he audited several school districts.
In 1990, he joined Tarkington ISD, where he dedicated 34 years of service as Business Manager, Director of Business Services, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, and Deputy Superintendent of Business and District Operations until his retirement in January 2024.
Shew is particularly proud to have personally presented high school diplomas to his children and grandchildren from Tarkington ISD: Dennis Craig Shew, Jr. (2003), Courtney Shew (2006), Cameron Shew (2013), and Mia Shew (2022). His grandson Talan Shew attended Tarkington ISD through the tenth grade, and another grandson, Taylor Tullos, is currently a sophomore. Additionally, Shew is proud that his wife Cindy’s grandmother, Allene Hines, graduated from Tarkington in 1936 as part of the class that chose the Longhorn mascot and the maroon and gold school colors.
Shew played a key role in founding the Tarkington Student Foundation in 2007. The Foundation provides scholarships to all Tarkington graduates pursuing education beyond high school, increasing from the initial $250 to $1,800 for 2024 graduates. Shew has served as the Foundation’s treasurer since its inception and continues in this role today. Reflecting on the Foundation’s impact, he stated: “The Foundation was established to help Tarkington graduates begin their post-secondary education. Without this assistance, many of our graduates might not continue their education.”
Reflecting on his career, Shew said, “I am blessed to have been able to work with so many people devoted to the public education of our children. This included working with six superintendents and numerous school board members, teachers, and staff over the years.”
Shew expressed deep gratitude for the recognition, saying, “A heartfelt thank you for the opportunity for my children and grandchildren to attend Tarkington ISD, for being allowed to work in public education at a wonderful district, and for being allowed to stay at one district my entire career. Tarkington ISD and Tarkington are special places!”