Scott Dean began his career at Interlochen in the fall of 1968, the seventh year of operation for the fine arts boarding high school. He completed his career on May 23, with the graduation of the class of 2009, his forty-first class of students at the Academy.
For more than four decades, Dean helped students understand history and political science. During his career, he created a culture of intellectual curiosity and responsibility, positively influencing thousands of Academy students along the way.
He is perhaps best-known for his explosive lessons on the American Civil War. During his classes on the beginning of the war each year, he took students outside and fired his own miniature cannon replica. In honor of Dean’s teaching career, Interlochen continued this tradition – on a grand scale. A trained group of Civil War re-enactors visited campus with a full-size, 12-pound Napoleon cannon.
An artist himself, Dean knew he had found the right place on his first visit to Interlochen. He immediately recognized Interlochen as a place that would allow him to combine his interests in history, government and the arts while enjoying the great outdoors in northern Michigan. While Dean says he will miss teaching, he is looking forward to spending more time pursuing his other interests, including hunting, fishing and giving more attention to his small business creating sculptures and carvings inspired by nature.
