Richard Manatt (1931-2018)

MANATT, TAYLOR, JOHNSON, NATHAN, LORDOS

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:13

From Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care obituary, Ames, Story County, Iowa:

Richard Manatt
December 13, 1931 - April 13, 2018

Dick Manatt, 86, died April 13, 2018 at Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames. A gathering of friends and family will take place on Thursday, April 26th from 1:00-2:00 p.m. at Collegiate United Methodist Church 2622 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014, with a celebration of life to follow at 2:00p.m. at Collegiate United Methodist Church.

He was born December 13, 1931, in Odebolt, Iowa, to William Price Manatt and Lucille Helen (Taylor) Manatt. The next year he moved with his parents to Atlanta, Georgia. He started school in Chicago, Illinois, and returned to Iowa (Audubon) in 1942. He graduated from Audubon High School in 1949 and received bachelor's and master's degrees from Iowa State College in 1953 and 1956. It seemed ordained that he would attend Iowa State College as his father had. Advised that to become a professor at ISC he should get his PhD elsewhere and prove himself in his profession, Dick completed a PhD at the University of Iowa and was a soldier, high school teacher, counselor, vice principal and principal before joining the ISU faculty in 1964. He retired in 2002 as University Professor Emeritus and former Chair of Educational Administration and Supervision in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. During the 1977-78 academic year he served as distinguished visiting professor at California State University Los Angeles.

The 1960s and 1970s were a time of explosive growth in schools, community colleges and universities. Antiwar activities and counterculture protest made campus life interesting. Bob Parks, ISU's longtime president, asked Dick to chair the Council for Student Affairs that was tasked with keeping protest activities peaceful. The five-year term included Don Smith's attempt to "drag ISU into the twentieth century," the firing of the dean of students, the bombing of the police department at Ames City Hall, and a copycat protest following the Kent State disaster.

National concern about the quality of elementary and secondary schools led to Dick's career-long focus and research on performance evaluation of teachers and school administrators. He conducted workshops and conferences on his findings throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, the Canal Zone, and the Pacific Rim. He made audiotape instructional series and video-based instructions on procedures for removing marginal teachers.

He founded a dissemination office called the School Improvement Model (SIM). Many of his PhD candidates were employed as research associates in SIM. Every chance Dick had before an audience created an opportunity to recruit graduate students for the College of Education. In all, he recruited, chaired, and graduated 177 PhDs. His numerous awards included the Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, the Margaret White Graduate Faculty Award, and the NAACP President's Award.

During the fall semester of 1995, Dick and his wife Jackie traveled around the world studying public, independent and/or Department of Defense Schools in 17 countries. He also served as an instructor and consultant on the topics of performance appraisals and school improvement in Germany, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and Japan.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Charles Manatt. He is survived by his wife, Jackie Manatt, Ames, and his first wife, Sally Jo (Johnson) Manatt, Phoenix AZ. He is also survived by daughters Tammy Jo Nathan, Phoenix, AZ, Ann Lea Manatt, Davis CA, son Joel Price Manatt, Phoenix AZ, and daughter Megan Manatt (Ryan) Lordos, Arlington VA. Also by four grandchildren, Bryan Carl Nathan, Olivia London Lordos, Canela-Jayne Marleny Lordos, and Zavier Price Lordos.

Memorials may be directed to the Richard P. Manatt Fellowship Fund at the Iowa State University Foundation, 2505 University Blvd., Ames IA 50010.

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