Rob Brady

DELAND -- Dr. Rob Brady, a professor of philosophy at Stetson University for 32 years and international expert in multimedia-assisted instruction in logic, died Monday at Florida Hospital-DeLand. He was 62. “Rob Brady was an outstanding teacher and scholar, and a very dear friend,” Stetson President Doug Lee said Monday. “His great intellect was matched by a contagious sense of humor and joy for living. We celebrate his life, and we will miss him. His wife, Betty, and family are in our hearts and prayers.”

A systems analyst before he began teaching philosophy, Brady combined his love of teaching with the ability to make technology work for students. Besides educational software, Brady's expertise included ethics and issues of war and peace. Bryan Gillespie, a retired Stetson English professor and longtime friend, called Brady “a person of unquestioned integrity and compassion.” “He demonstrated on a daily basis his capacity to 'love his neighbor as himself' ,” Gillespie said Monday. Brady, a native of Natchez, Miss., came to Stetson in 1972 from California State University in Pomona, Calif. He received a bachelor's degree in humanities from the University of California at Berkeley; a second bachelor's degree in sacred theology from Harvard University; and a doctorate in philosophy at Claremont University, Claremont, Calif.

Brady and his wife of 40 years, Elizabeth “Betty” Brady, have been DeLand residents since he joined the Stetson faculty in 1972. He was a black belt in judo and taught judo to Stetson students. He also enjoyed sailing with his family and friends aboard his boat, Summer's Door. Additional survivors include their two daughters, Susan Jefferson of Perkiomenville, Pa., and Virginia Brady of Hatfield, Pa.; and his mother, Arlene Brady of West Monroe, La.

A memorial service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday in the chapel of First Baptist Church of DeLand, where Brady was a longtime member. Another service is planned at the Stetson campus after students return from Spring Break.

Memorial donations may be made to The Lawson Endowed Lecture Series at Stetson University, University Relations, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8279, DeLand, FL 32723.

Allen-Summerhill, DeLand, is in charge.