The gavel has gone down one last time for Dennis Blewitt, who was larger than life in everything he did. He was more than famous, he was infamous as a storyteller, writer, consultant, teacher and above all, a lawyer. Dennis was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Lloyd & Betty Blewitt and raised in Loveland, Colorado. At Loveland High School, He was very active in band and orchestra and even competed in All-State Orchestra. In the early 1960's he went to Barber College in Denver where he watched the brutality of "skid row" citizens. This provided an excellent source of income and a closeup view of the microcosms of social classes, their issues and conflicts. This drove him to university to prepare himself as an instrument of change. He fought passionately for those that have been forgotten by society.
Dennis was part of the "Beat Generation" in Denver performing in a Jazz Band an enjoyed coffee conversations with the likes of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac He then moved to Boulder and attended CU where he met his future wife, Arlene. After they were married, they moved to Chicago where he went to Law School at IIT - Kent College Of Law graduating in 1967. Dennis developed an abiding love for the constitution from the time he won constitutional law awards in law school.
Dennis was a master of its nuances. He created waves while editing and writing for the school newspaper. After law school Dennis worked with renowned attorney Charlie Vigil who eventually was a US Attorney. He started the legal practice "Blewitt, Bisbee & Geil" and then he became an associate of Cliff Barnard with his long-time para-legal and guardian angel MJ Studer. Dennis loved sociological theory. His approach to criminal law and social ills was through a scholastic and sociological lens. His was a lifelong study the structure of society and he began writing a half dozen books on this, constitutional law and Common Law.
At another time he ran for the office of Boulder District Attorney but lost by a narrow margin. He was co-founder of Home Music Channel, Boulder Free School and was involved in the creation of KGNU Boulder. Throughout his legal career he was licensed in many states and even practiced in Canada & Mexico. He represented a wide range of iconic characters like Hunter S. Thompson & Sonny Barger. He was referred to as "Gonzo" in Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas and this nickname stuck throughout his career. Dennis had clients from all walks of life, from hippies with marijuana infractions, to an ex-soldier who mooned the judge, drug runners, mafia lords, ex-intelligence operatives, heiresses, successful and unsuccessful companies. He could remember names, dates, details and could sociologically plot how seemingly disparate occurrences actually fit together, sometimes on a national scale.
Dennis had very high ethical standards and held all others, particularly other professionals, to those standards he was ethical, and he was fearless He had multiple careers over his 80 years, most of which dealt with political movements, to include the civil rights movement, the Viet Nam movement, SDS and various social justice projects. Dennis headed a labor union and was proud of being fired for not collecting enough revenue for the town of Lyons, Colorado as a judge.
Dennis was a high-ranking officer in several masonic organizations, a member of the Knights Templar and medieval scholar. He was also very proud to be an Adjunct Instructor at CU serving on 6 dissertation committees. In recent years, Dennis had been writing a book on the change of common law jurisprudence to Roman (civil-Napoleonic) jurisprudence and its consequences on our society. He would occasionally lecture on this and other topics you can read on his blog, "denniscomments.com" and his YouTube Channel "Dangerous Dinosaur". He stated, "I have been an all-around pain in the ass to the power structure."
Dennis is survived by his loving wife of 60 years Arlene with whom they enjoyed traveling around the world on cruises, trains and planes. Visiting other cultures was their passion. Also survived by his children Blake (Heather), Denise & Heather (Mike), and 8 grandchildren - Madeline, Holly, Cameron, James, Allison, Tyler, Logan & Jasper. He was preceded by his beloved parrot, Snowy. There will be a celebration of life on Jan 20, 2024 at the JCC in Boulder, Colorado beginning at 1PM. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his honor to: Boulder Homeless Shelter, Amnesty International or KGNU Boulder.
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