Col. Edward Dey gave back to budding Army ROTC cadets during his time as a Marquette professor of military science. This Veterans Day, Marquette gives back to him.
A library named in Dey’s honor will be dedicated at the Old Gym, 1530 W. Clybourn St., on Veterans Day this Wednesday. The ceremony for the official introduction of the Col. Edward H. Dey Memorial Library will begin at 8 a.m.
Dey was a Marquette faculty member from 1965 to 1973, working to transform ROTC cadets into decisive leaders both on the battlefield and the homefront. He passed away in November 2002.
The library will comprise a collection of books focused on increasing the professional leadership development of Army ROTC cadets, according to a Marquette news release.
In addition, a plaque featuring Dey’s likeness will be revealed and a member of the Dey family will present the donated books.
Edward’s daughter, Dorothy “Dee Dee” Dey, discussed her father’s legacy and contributions her family has given to fund Army ROTC for books and technology.
“We were just trying to think of something we could all do to honor his memory,” Dorothy said. “The military and cadets were his life. Education really was the name of the game for him.”
Dorothy said education was a priority for the family. Each child contributed a portion of their paycheck to the family’s collective “education fund,” she said. Eight of the nine children have graduate degrees. The fund helped cover tuition expenses for whoever was in college at the time. Edward’s career as a student and educator spanned intermittently from World War II and past the end of the Vietnam War.
She said besides her father’s devotion to education, he also spent a majority of his life committed to veterans.
After Edward left the military and moved back to Missouri, he worked as a Veterans Affairs adviser, counseling wounded or traumatized veterans after they returned home. He continued assisting veterans until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease late in his life.
Current Army ROTC faculty and staff also reflected on Edward’s legacy and the new library. Lt. Col. Robert Kaderavek, a professor of military science, said the space is both a learning area and a tribute to what Dey and his family committed to Marquette.
“It’s important for the Dey family, to just give a little bit back to them,” Kaderavek said. “We don’t have a lot of space in the Old Gym, but a perfect place for them to study, to socialize. We have some computers to utilize and the books themselves are a great resource. It’s another area for them to develop themselves professionally.”
It will be the third library on campus, joining the Raynor Memorial Library located at 14th Street and West Wisconsin Avenue and the Law Library located in Sensenbrenner Hall.
The Dey library will focus primarily on titles from the U.S. Army’s chief of staff ‘s
suggested reading list, just as the Law Library is specifically dedicated to legal literature.
Capt. Margaret Murphy, assistant professor of military science and leadership, said the current staff is committed to continuing Dey’s legacy through the library and their own work in training the cadets.
“All of us are generally appreciative, and their being able to give back and recognize everything that is done,” she said. “The library is a nice memento for them, and we truly do appreciate everything they do for us.”
