Dennis Horn was a  charter member of TNPS when the society was established in 1978, Dennis was also lead author and primary mover of our book, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians. 

Dennis enjoyed a distinguished career as an engineer at Arnold Engineering and Development Corporation, culminating with being bestowed the honor of an AEDC Fellow in recognition of his substantial and distinguished technical contributions to the nation’s aerospace ground testing capabilities. Although not a trained botanist, Dennis used his engineering skills to plunge into a scientific study of our native plants. In short order, he became an almost encyclopedic store of botany knowledge, whether it was the scientific name for a species, the distinguishing characteristics for identification, or a location where it could be found.

When the state proposed to establish a rare plant list, Dennis was invited to participate on the Tennessee Rare Plant Scientific Advisory Council as part of the Rare Plant Protection Act of 1985. Not far from his home in Tullahoma, Dennis worked tirelessly for years along with Marjorie Collier to have Short Springs designated as a State Natural Area. That work came to fruition in 1994 as the state granted it Natural Area status. Soon after, he and Marjorie spearheaded the formation of the Friends of Short Springs, with which he continues to be heavily involved, leading hikes and giving lectures on the botanical richness of this wonderful spot.

In 2003 Dennis was awarded the Governor’s Stewardship Award for Natural Heritage Conservation. He received the 2020 TNPS Conservation Award and joined the TNPS Tennessee Botanist Hall of Fame in 2020.