Theodore Robert Deppe

Theodore Robert Deppe, 91, died peacefully after a short illness, surrounded by family and friends. Ted worked for 34 years at Indiana University and was chairman of the Department of Parks and Recreation for 21 years. Born in Baraboo, Wisconsin, on September 2, 1921, he was a member of the 1941 NCAA Championship basketball team. In February 1943, due to a basketball injury, he was turned down when he tried to enlist to serve his country. He went to another recruitment center and was accepted, and though he had never been in a plane in his life, he became a pilot in the Army Air Force. In June, while learning to fly a B-24 in Montgomery, Alabama, 2nd Lt. Deppe met Alice Woodbourne Minot who was visiting her college roommate. They married on September 2, 1943, in Boise, Idaho. Two months later, he was sent to Italy where he flew 27 missions over Germany and Austria. After the war, he earned B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Wisconsin. He became Assistant Superintendent of Recreation in Beloit, Wisconsin, and then first Superintendent of Recreation for a newly created department in Superior, Wisconsin. In 1953, upon completion of his Doctor of Recreation degree at Indiana University, he was invited to join the faculty there "for a year or two" and stayed on at IU until his retirement in 1987. As chairman, Ted assembled a team of top professionals in the field of parks and recreation. He co-authored Recreation in American Life, a textbook used in many university programs. He was a founding editor of the Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration. He served on the NRA National Advisory Committee on Recreation, Training, and Placement of Recreation Personnel, was elected President of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators (1967), and served as a member of the NRPA Board of Trustees (1968-1971). He also was President of the IPRA (1970), served with other department chairs in the College and University Recreation Association, and was a founding member of the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration. He was co-founder and head of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Foundation. Ted and Alice raised four children in Bloomington, IN, with summers spent in Wareham, MA. He kept in close contact with his children and grandchildren with multiple Skype talks weekly and sometimes daily. One highlight in his life was a Fulbright Scholarship enabling him to spend six months in New Zealand with professionals at Lincoln College, where he helped establish a recreation curriculum, and made many lifelong friendships. After retiring from Indiana University, Ted continued to serve as President of the Bloomington Parks Foundation. In 2006, he received the Heart and Hand Award for his lifetime in service to the Parks Foundation. In 1987, he received the Distinguished Life Membership Award from the IPRA, and in 2010 he was awarded the Legend Award from the National Advisory Committee of the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism at Indiana University. Ted and Alice moved to the Meadowood Retirement Community sixteen years after his retirement. There, Ted enjoyed attending IU sports events and programs presented by the School of Music and Auditorium Series. He served as Chairman of the Recreation Committee for this retirement community for nine years. Ted loved sailing, golfing, summering in Wareham, MA, watching IU sports, following the Boston Red Sox, taking trips, and spending time with friends and family. Ted was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Alice. He is survived by four children: Joan, of Medford, MA; Theodore and his wife Annie of Renvyle, Ireland; John and his wife Shari Barrett of Evansville, IN; and Doug and his wife Deborah, of Westhaven, CA. He also is survived by seven grandchildren (Caitlin Lewando, Peter Deppe, Michael Deppe, Lauren Broocker, Ross Deppe, Ryne Deppe, and Dayne Deppe) and one great granddaughter (Alanna Deppe). Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday July 8th at the First Methodist Church in downtown Bloomington, IN. Reception with family immediately following the service at the church. His ashes will be interred next summer in a private service of celebration at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, MA. Memorial contributions may be made to the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Foundation or the Shalom Community Center. Allen Funeral Home 4155 South Old Highway 37 is handling the arrangements and online condolences may be sent to the family www.allenfuneralhome.org.

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Theodore Robert Deppe

September 2, 1921 - July 5, 2013