Former Curry Dean Dick Brandt Has Died

Dick Brandt speaking into a microphone

Dick Brandt received the 2005 Curry School Distinguished Service Award.

Richard “Dick” Martin Brandt died June 14 in Crozet. He was 90.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. June 21 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood, Va.

Brandt joined the University of Virginia faculty in 1965 to teach human development and educational psychology courses in the Curry School of Education. He became chairman of the Foundations of Education Department in 1968 and served as dean of the Curry School for 10 years beginning in 1974. He also held the Curry Memorial Professor Chair from 1975 until his retirement in 1990.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Birmingham, Mich., Brandt attended U.Va. and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1943 from the School of Engineering and Applied Science in mechanical engineering.

After receiving his commission at the Naval Academy in April 1944, he served aboard a heavy cruiser as an engineering officer in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II. Following the war, he completed a master’s degree in education at the University of Michigan and then a doctorate at the University of Maryland, where he remained on the faculty of the Institute for Child Study in College Park from 1954 to 1965, when he came back to U.Va.

Brandt’s colleagues recognized him as an original and productive scholar and administrative leader during his 25 years at the University. His books include “Incentive Pay and Career Ladders for Today’s Teachers: A Study of Current Programs and Practices” and “Studying Behavior in Natural Settings.” He also co-edited “Observational Methods in the Classroom” and published numerous articles and research monographs.

As dean, he established the Curry School of Education Foundation, which today finances much of the school’s growth. He provided strong leadership at a time when many schools of education faced considerable challenges. His leadership during the era included presidencies of both the Virginia Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Council of Academic Deans in Research Education Institutions.

In addition to teaching in his last years on the faculty, he served as a consultant, researcher and outside evaluator of statewide incentive pay and master teacher programs under development in five southern states.

During retirement, he played piano regularly at the Mountainside Retirement Home and other local assisted living centers.

Brandt is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mattice “Tice” Fritz Brandt, four children and their families, including five great-grandchildren. His son, Richard M. Brandt Jr. preceded him in death, as did his older brother, Arthur John Brandt.

Memorial donations may be made to the Curry School of Education Foundation or the Emmanuel Episcopal Church Memorial Fund.

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