Richard Robson Brettell
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Rick was one of the nicest and funniest people I knew at Yale. He was the most enthusiastic student in Art History I ever met. He and Caroline Bieler were married in 1973.
I have two specific memories of Rick, both musical. The first is a four-hand piano recital that he and Ruth Kurzbauer gave in the living room of the JE Master’s House. Among other things, they played a transcription of Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony. It moves along at a very fast clip! To this day, I cannot hear that piece without remembering that performance.
The other memory is an act of great generosity. Immediately after the Baccalaureate Service on graduation day, I gave a recital, just for friends and family, on the Mighty Newberry Organ in Woolsey Hall. I needed someone to turn pages. Rick happily volunteered. I don’t remember whether his family attended, but while everyone else was out in Beinecke Plaza, busily celebrating and getting their pictures taken in their caps and gowns, Rick took that time to help a friend. It may sound like a small gesture, but it meant a great deal to me.
Of course, Rick went on to have a distinguished career as an Art Professor and Museum Director in Chicago and Dallas. You can read about him at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Brettell, https://chairs.utdallas.edu/profiles/dr-richard-brettell, and https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/richard-brettell.