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Brendan Gilbane, former CGS dean, dies at 71

By David J. Craig

Occasionally freshmen would visit the office of Brendan Gilbane when he was dean of the College of General Studies to talk about being placed in the two-year liberal arts program upon being accepted to BU. He always would take time to discuss the importance of receiving a broad education. His passion on the subject was contagious, his colleagues remember. "He would tell students that no matter what profession you want to go into, you first must mature as a reader and as a thinker before you learn your craft," says Linda Wells, a longtime coworker, who suceeded Gilbane as dean. "He had a real authenticity and a lack of pretense about him, and students could perceive the truth in what he was saying."

Brendan Gilbane, 1930-2001 Photo by Fred Sway

Gilbane (DGE'50, COM'52, GRS'59,'69), who was CGS dean from 1974 until his retirement in August 2000, died on Wednesday, December 12, in his Wrentham home after a long battle with cancer. He was 71.

A self-deprecating man who discussed his accomplishments only after much prodding, Gilbane told the BU Bridge in a 2000 interview that among the achievements he was most proud of as dean was a dramatic rise in the SAT scores of incoming CGS students, the strengthening of the faculty, and the adoption of the college's current name in 1992. "The name [College of] Basic Studies had become pejorative, and the change was needed to boost enrollment," he said. "It helped eliminate the stigma a lot of our students felt." CGS, which was created as the Junior Division of the General College in 1949 to help World War II veterans become acclimated to academic life, provides students with a solid background in major subject areas such as English, history, math, and science and prepares them to enter one of the University's bachelor's degree programs as juniors.

Gilbane was born in Providence, R.I., and in 1948 enrolled in a two-year honors program at BU's General College, which eventually became the Division of General Education of the College of Liberal Arts. It was closed in 1976. Upon earning a bachelor's degree in journalism from the College of Communication in 1952, he took a position teaching history at BU's Junior Division of the General College, which that year became the Junior College, was renamed the College of Basic Studies in 1960, and finally the College of General Studies in 1992. While teaching there, Gilbane earned a master's degree and a Ph.D., both in history, from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Except for a stint as a U.S. Army artillery sergeant in Germany during the Korean War, Gilbane spent his entire career at CGS. He taught social science from 1952 until becoming dean in 1974.

Wells, who worked as a professor under Gilbane for 17 years, says he earned a reputation as "a very tough but extremely fair" manager. "You could have great debates with him about things like curriculum, hiring, or faculty tenure cases, and it never became personal," she says. "You always felt that when you walked out of the room you were friends, even if you had disagreed. He also was very much a straight shooter, so you always knew where you stood with him."

Robert Wexelblatt, a CGS professor of humanities and rhetoric and a longtime colleague and friend, says Gilbane was a "splendid classroom teacher" and as dean was a "shrewd judge of people, who knew how to get the best" out of his teachers. "He loved the college, he loved being its dean, he loved being in his office, and he loved seeing students and alumni," Wexelblatt says.

When Gilbane took over as dean, Wexelblatt remembers, the college was experiencing financial problems and falling enrollment. "He took things very much in hand," he continues. "He opened the door to his office, he prepared informational brochures for high school guidance counselors, he began to improve the qualifications of the faculty, and he implemented the recommendations of a curriculum committee report. In short, he provided firm and consistent leadership, and kept it up for a quarter of a century."

Upon Gilbane's retirement, BU named the General Studies House residence hall at 166-168 Bay State Road in his honor. At its dedication, BU President Jon Westling said, "The real monument to Brendan is in the lives of thousands of students whose intellects, whose spirits, and whose imaginations have been shaped and fired by a great teacher."

Gilbane leaves his wife, Virginia (Lee); two sons, Stephen of Arlington and Barry of Watertown; a daughter, Deryl, of Boulder, Colo.; and two sisters.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 16, at Marsh Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the Gilbane family has asked that contributions be made in his name to Boston Medical Center's Oncology Department or to the Brendan F. Gilbane Scholarship Fund at the College of General Studies. Checks should be made out to Boston University, with a notation indicating the fund the donation is for, and sent to Meghan Fay at the College of General Studies, 871 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215.

11 January 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations