Donald Newton Dedmon (August 13, 1931 – February 13, 1998) was an American academic administrator and communications consultant.

Early life and education

Dedmon was born in

Wright County, Missouri Wright County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,815. Its county seat is Hartville. The county was officially organized on January 29, 1841, and is named afte ...

, and received his undergraduate degree English and speech from Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University) in 1953, and taught high school before earning a Master of Arts degree in speech in 1956 and a PhD in oral education from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

in 1961.

Career

He taught at Saint Cloud State College, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, from 1959 to 1962 and at

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

, in Carbondale, Illinois from 1962 to 1964. He later became chair of the Department of Speech at Colorado State University. From 1966 to 1968, he served as a communications consultant for pharmaceutical company

Smith, Kline & French Smith, Kline & French (SKF) was an American pharmaceutical company. History In 1830, John K. Smith opened a drugstore in Philadelphia, and his younger brother, George, joined him in 1841 to form John K Smith & Co. In 1865, Mahlon Kline joined '' ...

. Dedmon became the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at

Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges: ...

in 1968, and was appointed executive vice president the following year, becoming acting president of the University in 1970. In this role, he led the campus through the November 14, 1970,

plane crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

in which 37 members of the

Thundering Herd football team, eight members of the coaching staff, and 25 school boosters were killed. The team was returning home after a 17-14 loss against the East Carolina University Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.Withers, Bob. "The story of the 1970 Marshall Plane Crash." 19 Dec. 2006 Herald-Dispatch untington 19 Dec. 200

Dedmon was portrayed by

David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Do ...

in the movie '' We Are Marshall,'' which details the aftermath of the crash and its effect on the school community. Dedmon became president of Radford University on March 20, 1972, and served for more than twenty years, during which time the University experienced rapid growth and a major transition from a small women's college to a co-ed institution, before reaching university status in 1979. The enrollment tripled during his tenure. Dedmon spent much of the early 1990s away from Radford University on sabbatical in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and later on medical leave during a lengthy recovery from a

ruptured spleen A splenic injury, which includes a ruptured spleen, is any injury to the spleen. The rupture of a normal spleen can be caused by trauma, such as a traffic collision. Signs and symptoms In minor injuries with little bleeding, there may be abdomin ...

. Due to ill health Dedmon announced his retirement from Radford University in June 1994, but officially held the presidency while on medical leave until August 1995. His last public appearance at Radford University was in September 1995, when he spoke at the inauguration of his successor, Douglas Covington. The

Dedmon Center Dedmon Center is a 3,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Radford, Virginia. Construction started in 1979 and finished in 1981. A natatorium featuring an eight-lane olympic-size pool with a diving well was added in 1987. The Dedmon Center is home to ...

at Radford University was named in his honor. The 58,000-square-foot athletic center opened in 1981 and was renovated in 2009. In 2018, Dedmon was posthumously inducted in the Radford University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Dedmon married Geraldine Mary Sanders, a native of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1957. They had two daughters. After retiring from Radford University, Dedmon moved to South Florida where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

in 1998 at the age of 66.

References

External links

Radford University Archives

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dedmon, Donald 1931 births 1998 deaths Presidents of Radford University Colorado State University faculty University of Iowa alumni People from Missouri Presidents of Marshall University 20th-century American academics