Daniel Ross Reedy (1935-2023) Born in Wabash Township, Clark County, IL, May 21, 1935, the son of Ralph Reedy and Nellie Milbourn Reedy. He was predeceased by his parents, daughter LaRae Lynn Reedy, two brothers: William James Reedy and Robert Frederick Milbourn. Survivors include his college sweetheart and wife of 64 years, Nancy Ann Dunham Reedy, two daughters: Lisa Maria Reedy Loeffler (Lexington), Lucinda “Cindy” Ann Reedy Hall (Nashville), sons-in-law: Andrew Loeffler and Tim Hall; five grandchildren: Madeleine Broox Loeffler, Emma Maria Loeffler, Daniel Ramsey Hall, Hadley Francis Hall, Henry Marshall Hall, a special niece, Linda Sue Milbourn Poorman of Moore, OK, and his adoptive Familia Mariategui, Lima, Peru. Dan was a member of Lexington’s Central Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, having served as Deacon, Elder, and Chair of the Board of Elders. Educated in one-room country schools, Dan discovered Spanish language, Hispanic culture, and literature at Marshall High School. His desire to become a teacher led to Eastern Illinois University, graduating in 1957 with Honors (B.S.Ed., Spanish, English, Latin). He studied for the M.A. in Spanish (1959) and the Ph.D. (1962) in Latin Ameri-can Literature, Linguistics, and Latin American History at the University of Illinois and the Universidad Nacional Mayor del Peru as a Rotary International Scholar (1959-60). When doors of opportunity opened, he was fortunate to encounter pathways for potential fulfillment of life’s purpose. His professional career began at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1962 before moving with colleagues to the University of Kentucky in 1967 to revitalize the doctoral program in Spanish and Hispanic literatures. He mentored forty-five successful Ph.D. graduates during his thirty-nine-year academic tenure and received UK’s William B. Sturgill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate Education. His research and publications on Latin American Literature, with specialization in Peruvian culture, earned him international recognition. For eighteen years he was a Contributing Editor to the Library of Congress’ Handbook of Latin American Studies. He was a Fulbright Research Scholar in Peru and President of the Southeastern Latin American Studies Association. At the University of KY, Dr. Reedy served as Department Chair, Acting Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Dean of the Graduate School (1983-1996). He was a member of the UK Athletics Board, Senate Council, the University Press of Kentucky Advisory Board, Senior University Marshal, and President of the Hilary J. Boone Faculty Center. Under the mentorship of UK President Otis A. Singletary, he was an American Council on Education Fellow in Administration. With the support of President David Roselle and in his capacity as Graduate Dean, Reedy enlisted the personal cooperation of Dr. Lyman T. Johnson in 1988 to create the LTJ Fellowship Program for Outstanding Minority Graduate Students. Nationally, Reedy was a member of the Minority Affairs Committee of the U.S. Council of Graduate Schools. During 1995-96 he was President of the Association of Midwestern University Graduate Deans. He also served as a field consultant on graduate studies for the Washington D.C. Academy for Educational Development projects in Panama and Mexico. The Conference of Southern Graduate Schools recognized him in 1999 for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate Education in the Southern Region. After his return to the classroom in 1996, Reedy was twice selected by faculty colleagues to membership on the UK Board of Trustees where he was elected Secretary. In that role, he was Board liaison in the search for UK’s Eleventh President; with Trustee Joetta Wickliffe, he co-chaired the Inaugural Committee for installation of Dr. Lee T. Todd as UK President. Dan’s professional accomplishments were recognized in 1981 by Eastern Illinois University with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences honored Reedy with its LAS Alumni Achievement Award in 2001. He was a Corresponding Member of the Hispanic Society of America. Memberships included Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Tau Delta, Kappa Delta Pi, and Omicron Delta Kappa. In 2017, he was named to UK’s College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. In addition to his many academic accomplishments, Dan was a loving and devoted husband, father and Poppy. He never met a stranger. He wanted to know everyone’s story and likewise wanted everyone to know his. Food was his love-language and his friends and family were recipients of his delicious offerings. He leaves behind a wonderful legacy and will be so dearly missed. --- We are so sorry you never had the chance to know DRR (as he would initial his memos). His obituary is daunting but doesn’t tell all. He and other young hires at UNC-Chapel hill were surprised and dismayed at the insular attitude of the older professors. The final straw was when these new hires got into trouble for publishing their research. “You don’t want to make the others look bad, do you?” That did it! In a coup that made national headlines, DRR, 9 young professors and 40 graduate students picked up stakes and decamped to the University of Kentucky to set up a department that soon became nationally recognized. DRR embodied everything we envisioned for a department: openness, integrity, collegiality and a mentorship that went beyond the classroom. Research and teaching thrived under his leadership. His joy of research and teaching permeated his lectures and not surprisingly amassed a large following of students fascinated with the (at that time) often neglected field of Hispanic literature and culture. His students learned more than facts from him and went on to become respected professors in their own right. There are many stories of how he fearlessly confronted all levels of the administration when he thought they were trying to undermine Hispanic studies. If you met him, you would be surprised that this paragon of academic and administrative achievement would want to sit down with you, have a chat, talk about his latest research, and encourage you in your interests. We are so sorry you never had the chance. Joseph and Margaret Jones Professors Emeriti |