Dr. Robertr. Dunwell

Robert R. Dunwell, a Navy officer, and former Chairperson of the Department of Education at Washburn University, died at home on Friday, March 9, after a short illness. He was 81.
Bob Dunwell was born on May 13, 1930, in Kansas City, Kan., to Mollie and Albert Dunwell, and graduated from Argentine High School.
He attended the University of Kansas on a U.S. Navy scholarship, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1952, with an emphasis in English language arts, speech and drama, and journalism. He received his Master of Science in Education in 1956, with an emphasis in secondary school administration and supervision, and his Doctor of Education in 1961, with emphasis in organizational theory, educational psychology and guidance and curriculum development.
After finishing his bachelor's degree, he was commissioned by the Navy as an Ensign, serving from 1952-55 in Japan and Korea during the Korean Conflict. After his initial training in San Diego, Calif., he was assigned to the USS Winston at Pearl Harbor. He was a Boat Group Commander with responsibility for 24 landing craft and their "coxswains" and "boathooks." He also served as Officer of the Deck at Special Sea Detail entering and departing port. He later was transferred to the LST 1073, which transported prisoners from Koje Do to Inchon, and completed a surveillance run to the atoll of Taongi. He remained a stalwart patriot his entire life and, in his retirement, carried business cards with his Navy photo and rank that he would hand to veterans he would meet and thank them for their service.
After his service, he returned to KU, finished his master's degree, and taught ninth-grade English at Northeast Junior High School in Kansas City, Mo., from 1956-58, and journalism and English at Lawrence High School, from 1958-1960.
While finishing his doctorate, he was the Director of Curriculum and Personnel for the Leavenworth, Kan., School District and was honored in 1962 by the Leavenworth Parent Teacher Association for Outstanding Contributions to Education.
He began his college teaching at Hanover (Indiana) College, where he was an Associate Professor and head of the Department of Education (1962-1965), and was Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley (1965-69), Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Hawaii (1969-77), Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Education at Cape Girardeau, Mo. (1978-1982), Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at the University of Texas at El Paso (1982-87), and Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Education at Washburn University, from 1987 until he retired in 2001, when he became Professor Emeritus.
In 1976, he co-authored the book, Foundations for Teaching and Learning, with Robert L. Wendel. He also wrote Essays on Ethnocentricity: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, published in 2009, in which he shared his insights on racial equality gleaned through his life experiences. When he died, he was working on essays about his experiences in the Navy.
Dr. Dunwell married Janice C. Alcorn in 1976. Together, they researched HIV/AIDS education programs in Edinburgh, Scotland, and co-presented their research at national and international conferences, including Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1993, they led a four-week study tour at Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, with site visits to Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an, and in 1997, they represented Washburn University's International Education Program, visiting the American International School and St. Michael's British School in Lisbon, Portugal. She retired as Associate Professor of Community Health Nursing at Washburn in 2011.
Dr. Dunwell always was committed to educational equity. He served as the first chairperson of the Brown Foundation for Educational Excellence, Equity, and Research, formed to recognize the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education. The Foundation succeeded in having the Monroe School in Topeka designated as a National Historic Site and established the Oliver J. Brown Chair in Diversity Studies at Washburn University. Dr. Dunwell was honored twice by the foundation for service and leadership. He served, until his death, on the foundation's Board of Directors.
In 1992, Dr. Dunwell helped form the partnership of the Topeka Public Schools and Yale University, known as the Comer School Development Program. He was a member of the University Council and Senior Faculty Representative to the Washburn Board of Regents. In spring 2000, he received the Herrick Award for Outstanding Service to the University.
He was a member of the Phi Delta Kappa, International Education Society, earning a 50-year membership certificate in 2010, an honorary life member of the Kansas Parent Teachers Association, and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He was active in the Washburn University Retiree's Association, and was the founding and only editor of the newsletter, publishing 18 consecutive editions in which he conducted all the interviews and wrote all the articles. He also was past president of the Topeka Area Retired School Personnel, where he was instrumental in changing the bylaws to change from an organization for teachers only to include all school personnel, and increased scholarship fundraising tenfold.
Music was always a part of his life, and he played the alto horn in three bands, the Santa Fe Band, the New Horizons Band in Lawrence, and the Argentine High School Reunion Band, until his death. He also played with the Jayhawk Alumni Band.
He is preceded in death by his parents and a brother, William. He is survived by his wife, Janice Alcorn Dunwell; his sister, Frances Kokrda Russell; his daughter, Nancy Dunwell; his daughter, Judith Nichols, and her husband, Tom; his son, Erik Dunwell; and his grandson, Nate Nichols.
Memorial Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, Leavenworth National Cemetery. Donations can be made in his name Helping Hands Humane Society, 2625 NW Rochester Rd, Topeka, KS 66617 or Pets for Vets, Inc., 12626 Lloydminister Dr., North Potomac, MD 20878.
Penwell-Gabel Southwest Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.