Reverend Richard I. Dean graduated from Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1967 with a degree in History. He subsequently received a master’s degree from Appalachian State University. While a student at Syracuse University, Reverend Dean was active in the Army ROTC program and served as the Brigade Commander during his senior year. Upon graduation, he was designated a Distinguished Military Graduate and commissioned as an Infantry Officer. Subsequently, then-Second Lieutenant Dean, distinguished himself while serving in the Republic of Vietnam as a Rifle Platoon Leader with the United States 101st Airborne Division and, thereafter, as a Company Commander from 1969-1970, when he left active duty with the rank of Captain. Captain Dean’s awards and decorations include the Silver Star, this nation’s third highest medal for Gallantry in Action, the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab, and Parachutist Wings. From 1970-1973, Reverend Dean served as a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi and Indiana. Following that, he worked three years in the private business sector before beginning a 20-year career in the North Carolina public school system. Reverend Dean is currently an ordained minister and is the Pastor of the Higgins Memorial United Methodist Church in Burnside, North Carolina, where he is active in community and church activities.
While a student at Syracuse University, Reverend Dean was also a four-year member of the men’s basketball team playing on the 1963-1964 freshman squad, earning three varsity letters from 1965-1967. While at Syracuse, he was the university’s 1965-1966 Most Improved Player and the 1966-1967 Most Valuable Player. Reverend Dean earned Second Team Caseate Academic All-American Honors and UPI Honorable Mention All-America Recognition. The San Francisco Warriors selected him the ninth round of the 1967 NBA draft. In October 2003, Reverend Dean was one of seven individuals honored at Syracuse University Letter Winners of Distinction at the 39th Annual Syracuse University Letter Winners of Distinction Dinner. Reverend Dean has been a Syracuse University Varsity Club member for more than 25 years.