Denison professor Terrance Dean dead at 53 – The Columbus Dispatch
Terrance Dean – a beloved Denison University professor, the Columbus Museum of Art’s first Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Scholar-in-Residence, and editorial board member for The Columbus Dispatch – died this week at the age of 53.
Details are still unclear as to how or when exactly Dean died. Denison officials said Dean had recently felt unwell and briefly spent time at a local hospital. Columbus police performed a wellness check Thursday and found him dead at his Downtown home.
“Terrance used his one-of-a-kind spirit, intelligence and creativity to make the world a better place,” said Amelia Robinson, opinion and community engagement editor at The Dispatch.
“He spoke to the heart of the community because he cared so passionately for it. His many accomplishments speak for themselves. Above them all, Terrance was authentically kind. I admired how much he loved kids and was willing to take foster children into his home and heart.”
Dean joined Denison’s faculty in Granville in 2019 as an assistant professor in the Black Studies department. He was a graduate of Fisk University and later Vanderbilt University, where he received his Ph.D. in Religion and African American Diaspora Studies. In his research, Dean was passionate about studying and discussing gender, Black religion and homiletics, the African diaspora, James Baldwin, and Afrofuturism
He also founded Denison’s William Payne Innovation Lab for Racial, Social, Political and Communal Sustainability. The Payne Innovation Lab, named after Denison alum William Payne, class of 1906, works in partnership with the California State Parks and Smithsonian Museum to preserve the legacy of Allensworth, the first Black colony in California.
“In just a few short years, Terrance made an indelible mark on the Denison community,” Denison University President Adam Weinberg wrote to the campus community Friday.
“He was a gifted educator who built strong relationships with students. I came to greatly respect and count on Terrance’s views on a wide range of issues relating to Denison. I also admired his public voice, which was greatly needed,” Weinberg said. “In so many ways, Terrance exemplified the qualities that allow Denison to provide a life-shaping education to our students while also making important contributions to public conversations. We will miss his dedication, enthusiasm, talents, passion, and commitments.”
Before making his way to academia, Dean worked in journalism and the entertainment industry for more than 15 years. He was a former executive at MTV and worked with entertainers across the industry, including Spike Lee, Rob Reiner, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Anjelica Huston.
Earlier this year, Terrance was named the first Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Scholar-in-Residence at the Columbus Museum of Art. Dean was tasked with rebuilding, organizing and archiving the library of Robinson, the prolific Columbus mixed-media artist who left most of her estate to the museum upon her death in 2015.
Her library “tells a unique story of who she was as a historian, as an intellect, and herself, even, as a scholar,” Dean told Columbus Monthly in an article in March. “She was very interested in Black culture, Black life, Black experiences. She was very interested in the world and how the world works.”
“This is a fascinating opportunity. I’m very grateful to the museum for creating a space and opportunity such as this, because then it allows for the academy to get involved and for scholars and thinkers to really make sense of what Aminah was doing and to uplift those stories,” Dean said. “But more importantly, to delve more into her life, because I think there’s so much we know, but a lot we don’t know.”
Much of Dean’s work focused on the telling unknown and marginalized stories, like the ones he saw in Robinson’s library.
In addition to his academic contributions, Dean also published several books, and his articles have been published in magazines including Newsweek, Essence, VIBE, and many others. He is best known for his 2008 memoir “Hiding in Hip-Hop,” which reflects on his time as a gay man in the entertainment industry.
Dean solicited and curated pieces for “In Black and White,” a Columbus Dispatch series of columns defining the terms and concepts that are key to the conversation around systemic racism. He hosted the accompanying “In Black and White” podcast with Dispatch digital producer Scot Kirk.
“Dr. Dean was brilliant, passionate and funny. I am grateful for the time I was fortunate to know and work alongside him. Terrance inspired me in ways I never thought possible,” Kirk said.
He was a community member of The Dispatch’s editorial board for more than two years and wrote numerous opinion columns that promoted racial equality and pushed for positive change, Robinson said.
Beginning Monday, flags at Denison will be at half-staff for three days in Dean’s memory. Counseling and support services are being offered to Denison students, faculty and staff.
No funeral arrangements were immediately available Friday evening.
shendrix@dispatch.com
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