Dennis Korn served as Michigan’s 2024–25 Eagles president, and throughout his term he traveled with his wife, Debbie, nearly every weekend to Eagles “aeries” (chapters) across the state to raise money for the MSU Community Music Schools.
The Michigan State University Community Music School (CMS) has received a gift of more than $141,000 from Michigan members of the Fraternal Order of Eagles thanks to the tireless efforts of Dennis Korn and his wife, Debbie.
Dennis has been an Eagles member for 27 years, serving terms as president, secretary for 19 years, treasurer, and currently as auditor of the Mason-Holt Chapter 3734 which has about 450 members. He served as Michigan’s 2024–25 Eagles president, and throughout his term he traveled with Debbie nearly every weekend to Eagles “aeries” (chapters) across the state, attending dinners, golf tournaments, silent auctions, and other events hosted by local members.
“Every member within Michigan really plays a part in supporting the particular aerie and auxiliary that they belong to, and supporting the current president’s initiative for that year,” Dennis said. “Some of the Aeries will come up with a big event, others might do a chili cook-off or soup-a-palooza.”
Fellow Eagles members served as an escort team for Dennis Korn as he paraded through the Eagles state convention to announce his intent to raise funds for the Community Music School.
Dennis emphasized that the funds came primarily from Eagles members, though many events were open to the public. “Most often it is from Eagle members, I would say 95% of it,” he said. “They’re the ones that attended the fundraising events.”
Dennis’ gratitude to the Eagles community is resolute. “I cannot thank the aeries and auxiliaries of the State of Michigan enough for what they did during my tenure to raise money for an organization that I truly believe in,” he said.
Dennis said he was drawn to CMS not only because it is an outreach unit of the MSU College of Music, but also for its inclusive programming. “It was nice to learn that they’ve got children there that have actually learned to speak because of the music and gotten up and crawled and walked,” he said. “Music is so dynamic in what it can do for you.”
The gift to CMS is unrestricted, with the exception that it cannot cover payroll. “It can be used for band camp, instruments, palliative care, maintenance, what they need for the facility,” Korn explained. “The purpose was spreading it out and making sure they have the necessary instruments to use, to make sure that the camps thrive, and it went where it was supposed to go.”
Always a good sport who had a lot of fun throughout his yearlong fundraising effort for CMS, Dennis Korn wears a hat given to him at a youth camp.
Among the Korn’s reasons for choosing CMS as the focus of Dennis’ presidential term are the connections their parents had to music. Debbie’s father was a self-taught steel guitarist who performed with a Navy band while stationed overseas. Dennis’ mother was a self-taught organist and singer, and his grandmother—a nurse—played fiddle and once performed on stage in Branson, Missouri with renowned Japanese violinist Shoji Tabuchi.
“Music was his passion,” Korn said of his father-in-law. “Same thing with my mother.”
Debbie lost her father to multiple myeloma, and Dennis lost his mother the next year to metastatic breast cancer. So, Dennis said he and Debbie decided to focus on something happy, and choosing music and MSU gave them a chance to honor the legacies of their parents.
“I can’t thank Dennis and Debbie Korn enough for this tremendous gift, as well as all of the Eagle members around the state,” said Jaime DeMott, director of the MSU Community Music Schools. “The flexibility they have provided us in their generosity will help a lot of people who share their passion and the passion that his mother and her father had for music. It is a thoughtful gift that we truly appreciate.”
Founded in 1993, CMS offers private lessons, music therapy services, summer camps, and ensembles for children and adults. Serving anyone from infancy to 90+, CMS makes music accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, or income.
For more information about the MSU Community Music School and its programs, visit cms.msu.edu.
