NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Lloyd Dunn, a national pioneer in the development of tests that allowed educators and parents to better understand, teach and assist individuals with developmental disabilities, died April 6 at his home in Las Vegas, Nev. He was 89.
Dunn was chair of the department of Special Education at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (then George Peabody College for Teachers), from 1953 to 1967 and helped found a national network of centers for the study and treatment of developmental disabilities.
“Lloyd Dunn’s place in Vanderbilt’s history is secure, both as a scholar of international renown and a benefactor whose generosity will help educate future generations,” said Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nicholas S. Zeppos. “Those who knew Lloyd were inspired by his dedication to Peabody, and, more importantly, by his grace, wisdom and humility.”
“Few individuals in the history of the college have had the impact of Lloyd Dunn. He was intellectually innovative and he used his intelligence for the benefit of others,” Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, Peabody College, said. “His commitment to children and others with special needs essentially helped to establish a new academic field—while also changing societal practices. He leaves a truly remarkable legacy, and we’re proud to continue his work.”
Dunn’s publications with wife, Leota, who died in 2001, on assessment, methods and materials used for understanding individuals with developmental disabilities, are still used extensively throughout the United States. A third edition of the vocabulary test he developed, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, was published in 1997. It continues as a leading measurement tool for standard English vocabulary and a screening test of verbal ability in early reading.
“One of Lloyd Dunn’s primary contributions was his ability to construct reliable and effective tests that helped people understand the strengths and weaknesses of people with disabilities,” Stephen Camarata, deputy director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and professor of hearing and speech sciences, said. “The Peabody vocabulary test has been one of the premier language tests nationwide since its development.”
In 1954, Dunn and the late Nicholas Hobbs founded the nation’s first doctoral-level training program in mental retardation at Peabody College. The program is still supported by a training grant that represents the longest continually funded federal training grant in the nation.
Dunn was also instrumental in establishing the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development in 1965 and its predecessor, the Institute on Mental Retardation and Intellectual Development at Peabody College. Dunn served on President Kennedy’s Panel on Mental Retardation from 1960 to 1964, which helped create early legislation benefiting people with disabilities. It was in this role that he suggested that a number of centers such as the Kennedy Center be established. The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center was the second nationally designated National Institutes of Health Research Center on Mental Retardation and other Developmental Disabilities.
“Lloyd had such great insight regarding the pressing need to train more interdisciplinary, translational scientists to work in disability research,” Pat Levitt, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center director, said. “Lloyd’s mantra of ‘research to practice’ was reflected in his continued enthusiasm and creativity regarding test design and application, the hallmarks of just a remarkable career.”
Dunn once described himself as the Andy Rooney of special education. “If I had my way, the field would get rid of the term ‘special education,'” he said. “There should be no dichotomy between general and special education. We are all just school teachers who don’t know as much as we should about educating young people who are very different from the average.”
After leaving Peabody, Dunn served as professor of special education for 30 years at the University of Hawaii.
In 1997, Dunn and his wife established the Dunn Family Chair of Educational and Psychological Assessment and a related research center at Vanderbilt Peabody College. More recently, he made gifts to support the renovation of the Peabody Library.
Lloyd and Leota Dunn were married more than 60 years. Leota Dunn died in 2001 at age 83. Dunn remarried in 2004. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Dunn, a son, Douglas Dunn, and four grandchildren, two of whom are Vanderbilt alumni.
Media contact: Melanie Moran, (615) 322-NEWS
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu