About Us

DelawareBeachGuides.com, designed and created by Henry Cox in partnership with Cape Gazette owners Dennis Forney and Patricia Vernon, is a comprehensive online guide to the Delaware Beach. Jen Ellingsworth is editor of Beach Paper and Cape Gazette's special publications which are available online at DelawareBeachGuides.com.

DENNIS FORNEY –

co-founder/co-owner, Cape Gazette

Forney, publisher and president of Cape Gazette, was born in Detroit, Mich. and grew up in Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1972 and after odd jobs in construction, started his career in journalism as a reporter and darkroom technician for the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer in Centreville, Md. He moved to a reporting position with the Star-Democrat in Easton, Md. before assuming the editorship of The Bay Times on Kent Island in Maryland. In 1975 he moved to Lewes, DE to become editor of The Whale at which time he began his association with Patricia Vernon. He moved into assistant publisher and publisher positions at The Whale and stayed with the newspaper until 1993 when he left to found Cape Gazette with Vernon. Forney is chairman of the Greater Lewes Foundation, and a member of the boards of directors of Lewes Public Library and the Sussex County Land Trust. He is a past president of Lewes Chamber of Commerce, Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club and past board member of Rehoboth Art League. Forney is married and the father of two daughters.

PATRICIA VERNON –

co-founder/co-owner, Cape Gazette

Vernon, editor and vice president of Cape Gazette, was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. Part of a military family, she grew up all over the United States and abroad with stops in Oklahoma, Germany, Nevada, California and finally back in Pittsburgh.

She graduated from Chatham College in Pittsburgh in 1974 and moved east to Rehoboth Beach, a popular summer vacation area for many Pittsburgh families. After summertime stints as a waitress and art gallery employee, Vernon began her career as a journalist with a new weekly newspaper serving the Rehoboth Beach area, The Whale. For the next 18 years, Vernon served as reporter and eventually editor for The Whale helping to build it into a highly respected community newspaper serving the coastal communities of Delaware. She left The Whale in 1993 to co-found Cape Gazette with Dennis Forney. Vernon has served as state president of the Business and Professional Women of Delaware (BPW) and a member of the board of directors of the Lewes-Rehoboth Meals on Wheels organization. She has also served as a member of the Sussex Family YMCA Board of Directors and as a board member of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce. She is the mother of one son and lives in Rehoboth Beach.

HENRY COX –

publisher/managing partner, DelawareBeachGuides.com

Cox, publisher, managing partner and creator of Cape Gazette's internet directories - DelawareBeachGuides.com, ShoppingDEbeaches.com and DiningDEbeaches.com, grew up in Madison, Mississippi. After graduating from Millsaps College in 1974, Cox obtained an MLS Degree from the University of Mississippi and an MBA in Marketing from Tulane University. From there he spent over 20 years in commercial real estate, developing major shopping centers nationwide for New York Stock Exchange companies. He bought a weekend home in Lewes, DE in 1996 and eventually partnered with Cape Gazette in 2003 to develop internet directories to help market local businesses at the Delaware Beach. He continues to work closely with Dennis Forney and staff to develop market strategies for Cape Gazette's internet publications. Cox, who splits his time between homes in Chevy Chase, MD and Lewes, DE, served as co-chair, board of directors of the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC) for nine years; chair/co-chair of various committees at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes, DE and assisted/chaired several Beebe Medical Foundation fundraising events. In addition to his Cape Gazette work, he manages a family portfolio of commercial properties in Mississippi.

JEN ELLINGSWORTH –

editor, Beach Paper & Cape Gazette special publications

Ellingsworth, Beach Paper editor, grew up in Milford, Delaware. Her career in community journalism spans more than 19 years, beginning in 1989 as sports editor and darkroom technician at the Milford Chronicle. Her sports reporting and photography has been recognized through several awards from the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. (MDDC) Press Association and Chesapeake Publishing Corporation. She joined Cape Gazette in 1996 as arts and entertainment editor, a post she still holds. Ellingsworth is also editor of the Beach Paper, Cape Gazette's popular weekly tourist guide published May through October. In addition, she coordinates Cape Gazette's special publications including the Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival official program, Cape Gazette's wedding guide, its spring and fall home improvement guides and its annual “'Tis the Season” holiday gift guide. She continues to work closely with both news and advertising staffs, helping to develop and market new ideas for Cape Gazette publications. She is a member of the Society for News Design.