In Memoriam
Dean H. Vanderbilt
Dean Vanderbilt
1964 Yale graduation
February 13, 2025
We just learned that Dean Vanderbilt died last July 15, 2024. This page contains the following remembrances:
- A letter of remembrance by his wife Missy
- An obituary published in the Dallas Morning News
- An essay written by Dean for our 50th Reunion
- An essay written by Dean for our 25th Reunion
Letter of remembrance
by Missy Vanderbilt
published by Wages & Sons Funeral Home, Stone Mountain, GA
July 15, 2024
Dean Vanderbilt
in recent years
Dean Vanderbilt was a wise, sweet, loving, caring and deeply moral man.
He was happiest when he was supporting his family and co-workers, and when he was making a positive difference. He was quietly brilliant, earning a BSE from Yale, MS from UCLA, and a PhD from MIT.
His most memorable work was in Dallas, TX, where he worked for ten years on the staff of the City Manager, ultimately becoming Budget Director. Several years later he was persuaded to run for the Dallas City Council. He was elected to three terms. He was widely acknowledged as a knowledgeable and effective member, earning the nickname “Clean Dean” from colleagues and the local press.
Dean loved playing golf with his son Read and tennis with his daughter Holly. He was immensely proud of his children and dedicated to supporting all their activities. He became a loving grandfather to their three children Lila, Mia, and Jonah Kai.
Dean supported my real-estate career in every way and was ahead of his time. He resigned as President of the North Texas Commission to run my real estate office and allow me to focus on my sales team. He was a mentor and leader for all the agents.
Dean and I retired to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2004 and lived an idyllic life of leisure and travel. After ten years, Dean wanted to return to the U.S. and to his love of local politics, volunteering for several organizations and campaigns.
He was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia in 2016 and passed away peacefully July 15 at Park Springs.
Dean was my first and only love. We were married for 60 years in June. He was, and always will be, dearly beloved.
A celebration of Dean’s life will be scheduled. If you would like to make a donation in Dean’s memory, please consider the Park Springs Foundation, which gives scholarships to Park Springs employees and their families. Mail to the Park Springs Foundation, 500 Spring House, Stone Mountain, GA 30087.
Obituary
Dallas Morning News
July 28, 2024
Dean Vanderbilt was elected to the Dallas City Council for three terms in the 1980s. He was widely acknowledged as a knowledgeable and effective member, earning the nickname "Clean Dean" from colleagues and the local press. He was involved in numerous civic activities, including President of the North Texas Commission, Chair of the Downtown Tax Increment Financing District, co-Chair of the campaign to build a new YMCA in Lake Highlands, and serving on a Council Redistricting Commission.
Dean was quietly brilliant, earning degrees from Yale, UCLA and MIT. Dean was happiest supporting his family and colleagues, and when making a difference. He is survived by wife Missy, children Holly and Read, and grandchildren Lila, Mia and Jonah Kai.
Dean and Missy retired to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2004 then moved to Atlanta in 2014. Dean was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia in 2016 and passed away peacefully on July 15, 2024.
If you like, please donate to the Park Springs Foundation, 500 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30087.
Essay, 50th Reunion Book
by Dean Vanderbilt ’64
May 2014
I plan on making this brief and to the point. Ten words per year seems about right!
Following graduation with an Electrical Engineering degree, I spent the next five years pursuing a masters at UCLA and a Ph.D. at MIT in the same field. Also I married Missy immediately (and we are still attached), who was very supportive during the five years and bore our first child Read in 1969.
That year we moved to Dallas, TX to begin my 35-year stint there in community service and politics. During that time I served in various city jobs, including being the city’s budget director and managing both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Also I was elected to the Dallas City Council three times and served on numerous civic boards and commissions. Although I made no significant use of the skills from my education, my city involvement was very satisfying, and I look back on it with pride.
In 2003, Missy and I retired from our Dallas businesses and activities and moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We did this to provide for a more relaxed life and to improve our relationships with our two children, Read and Holly. Both had moved away from Texas. Read lived in San Francisco with his son JK, and Holly lived in Atlanta and soon had two children, Lila and Mia. Generally our ten years in Mexico have gone well although there have been definite pluses and minuses.
Community service and political involvement can be very frustrating. However, it is definitely worth doing and ultimately can be very satisfying. People considering such things should recognize such efforts will also be difficult, time consuming, and full of unanticipated twists and turns.
Moving to another country also has a broad range of pluses and minuses. When considering a move, be sure to undertake thorough investigation and keep in mind that living in another country is very different from vacationing there. Things like stores for a full range of shopping, service providers (housekeeping, landscaping, medical facilities and physicians), local transportation, etc. Language and government differences also are important.
Family travel is important for both your visiting children and grandchildren as well as their visiting you. As family members’ lives become more complex, they won’t visit you as much as you would like and you will be traveling more. I guess that’s it, except for you to appreciate and enjoy life as it goes on. It probably will never be what you expected.
Essay, 25th Reunion Book
by Dean Vanderbilt ’64
May 1989
From a family viewpoint my life has been about perfect. I'm married to the woman I dated at Yale (we will celebrate our 25th in 1989 also) and have two wonderful children. The older one is an Ivy collegiate, although at another school (Princeton ... you may have heard of it!). The second is in high school and has potential.
I recently resigned from the Dallas City Council. That ended a nearly 20-year association with the City as employee, volunteeer supporter, and elected official. I enjoyed my service very much and received a good deal of satisfaction from it. But I am ready to do some other things now.
My professional career has been somewhat varied and successes sporadic (I would claim some interference from my city activities mentioned above.) That's something I'll work on now a little harder than berfore; my employers would be happy with more of my attention, I know.