Year: 2022
Type: other
Abstract: His extraordinarily productive 98 years featured abiding commitments to academic and Christian excellence.Dan was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.He grew up nearby on the campus of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, where his father was the president, 1934-1949.After graduating from Ouachita in 1945, he began his graduate study in political science as a member of an early cohort of the Southern Regional Training Program, an innovative effort to educate aspiring public servants in which several flagship universities in the region participated.Dan received his master's from the University of Alabama and entered the PhD program at Northwestern University, where he studied with such disciplinary luminaries as Charles Hyneman and William McGovern.After completing his dissertation, The Governor of Arkansas as Administrator, and earning his doctorate, Dan joined the Vanderbilt faculty.Historians of our profession will recall the reorientation the behavioral revolution wrought in the post-war era.Hired by a traditionalist, D. F. Fleming, Dan successfully navigated the transformation of the department undertaken by the incoming chair, Avery Leiserson.Indeed, Dan was the only non-tenured assistant professor when Leiserson arrived ultimately to be awarded tenure.Dan's departmental niche was state and local.He co-authored a textbook that went through six editions.His narrower focus was metropolitan government, and his laboratory was Nashville-Davidson County.He drafted the original plan for consolidation of city-county offices and services that was eventually instituted in 1962.This experience gained him an international reputation as a consultant for communities considering this reform.He founded and directed Vanderbilt's Urban Research Center.He published his research findings in books he authored and co-authored, in journal articles, including the Journal of Politics, Western Political Quarterly, Public Administration Review, Urban Affairs Quarterly, Law and Contemporary Problems, National Civic Review, National Municipal Review, and Annals of the American Academy of Political Science, as well as numerous chapters in edited collections.On campus, Dan was widely respected by his faculty colleagues and highly regarded by the Vanderbilt students, especially the graduate students.He was accessible, friendly, and always eager to help with their research projects.He willingly embraced the committee responsibilities that shared governance entailed.His unsurpassed expertise regarding local government structures and issues made him the obvious resource for fellow faculty and staff seeking information and insight.He was active in the Southern Political Science Association, presenting papers and chairing panels at annual meetings, serving on the executive council, and editing the "News and Notes" section of the Journal of Politics.In 1958-1959, Dan broadened his horizons, travelling to Bangkok, Thailand, where he taught municipal government and planning at Thammasat University and consulted with the city government.This experience gave him exposure to disciplinary currents
Source: Political Science Today
DOI: 10.1017/psj.2022.56
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4292685508