It is with sadness that I announce retired professor D. Brent Bandy passed away Thursday, Nov. 27.
D. Brent Bandy came to UW Oshkosh in the fall of 1984 to teach MIS, a relatively new emphasis at the time — not even a major. When applying for the job, Brent provided not just the three reference letters, but also half a dozen from Northwestern University and Standard Oil. Always an engineer at heart, he left nothing to chance. The letters said we would be hiring a person who is hard working, of strong moral character, professional in every sense and cares about others.
They were absolutely correct on every count. Brent was a faculty member of the highest caliber and an even better person.
Brent had a 16-year career with Standard Oil Company as operations research analyst and consultant to various units within the company. He brought that experience with him into the classroom to share with students.
In the College of Business, Brent was a quiet leader. He has served on FRED and virtually every other committee at one time or another. He served on ACUG, representing the college very well. Finally, Brent served as the Team Leader of Operations Management, aka SCOM. He could always be counted on to fulfill whatever role he took on and do so professionally and completely.
One of Brent’s great assets for the University was his versatility. He taught MIS courses and Supply Chain and Operations Management courses. While he began his career with our college teaching MIS, after several years he moved to teaching SCOM courses. Then in 1999, when there was a shortage of MIS faculty, Brent volunteered to teach only MIS courses for at least one year. He retired in spring 2007.
When I said that we got in Brent what the reference letters promised, I was wrong: We got a whole lot more than that. Brent was a true professional and, more importantly, a caring, giving and honest person.