David G. O'Brien
Biographical Statement
David O’Brien was Professor Emeritus of Literacy Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota-TC. He retired in 2021 and passed away suddenly October 9, 2021. David grew up in western Montana, earning his BA in English Education and MEd in English Education and Reading at the University of Montana. He taught for six years, first as a middle school English teacher in his hometown of Anaconda, MT and as and a Title 1 reading teacher on the Flathead Reservation in Arlee, MT.
Professor O’Brien earned his PhD in Reading Education at the University of Georgia in 1984. He was on the faculty at Purdue University from 1984-2001 before moving to the University of Minnesota where he worked from 2001-2021. He taught undergraduate and graduate students throughout his career, especially enjoying mentoring PhD students. His research focused on adolescent literacy, reading in the disciplines, digital literacy, and reading motivation and engagement, developing many of his ideas in collaborations with teachers and other scholars across disciplines.
Dr. O’Brien published six books, 29 book chapters, 15 invited articles, and 42 referred journal articles. His work appeared in The Handbook of Reading Research, The Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading, Reading Research Quarterly, Journal of Literacy Research, Reading and Writing Quarterly, Journal of Reading Behavior, Reading Research and Instruction, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and The Reading Teacher. He secured numerous grants from a variety of sources to support his scholarship and gave hundreds of presentations to teacher as well as researcher audiences. In addition, he served as an Associate Editor for The Reading Teacher, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Literacy Research Association, as an award-winning reviewer for multiple literacy and education research journals, and as a consultant to numerous educational programs and institutions.
Tribute
David O’Brien impacted researchers, teachers, and youth across a 46-year career. University colleagues depended on his leadership and good cheer through decades of curriculum innovation and revision. Research collaborators worked with him because of his quest for high quality scholarship, balanced with his steadfast advocacy for the truest possible representations of teachers’ and youth’s sensibilities. Students revered him: they were challenged and mentored alike, and they considered him a model of what it means to make a difference. One former doctoral student asserted: “Dave was transformational to my thinking and my career trajectory. I would not be who I am today without him.” It seems that all of us who worked with him or otherwise drew on his insights would make the same claim. We were fortunate to know him, be known by him, and love him.
Tribute Submitted by Kathleen A. Hinchman & James F. Baumann