Late dean remembered for love of CMU
Education has always been the underlying theme of Curtis E. Nash's life. The former dean of the School of Education died in his sleep Dec. 31 in Sarasota, Fla. He was 91.
"He was such an influence in all of our lives; he just showed us how to live," said Nash's daughter, Elizabeth Tousain. "Plus, he showed us how to laugh and cry,"
Five of Nash's relatives earned degrees from Central Michigan University, and he earned his doctorate from Harvard.
Beside his passion for teaching, Nash filled his days with sailing, serving his community and spending time with family.
Nash came to CMU in 1948 as a faculty member in teacher education. He worked at CMU for 34 years and served as dean from 1968 to 1982.
"He always accomplished whatever he wanted to," said Tousain.
Tousain said Nash and his second wife, Margaret Arnold-Nash, would spend 90 days at sea each summer discovering the Great Lakes.
"We sailed on all the Great Lakes, except Ontario, because it was too far away," Arnold-Nash said.
Philip Nash said his father's desire to travel came from Curtis Nash's father, who was at one time the executive secretary of the League of Nations.
Arnold-Nash said she and her husband also enjoyed the theater, and Nash even donated his crimson Harvard doctoral gown to the drama department.
Nash also was an avid supporter of basketball at CMU. One week before Nash died, Tousain took him to a CMU women's basketball game where Nash was presented with an autographed team ball to thank him for his support throughout the years.
"It was a surprise," Tousain said. "We were so touched."
Aside from his work at CMU, Nash is a past president of the Mount Pleasant Rotary and was active in the club for more than 50 years.
"He influenced the club right up until the time he passed away," said current Mount Pleasant Rotary President John Jensen. Nash also is a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan.
Fellowship member James Dealing, a retired CMU history professor, said he came to appreciate Nash as an elder.
"He lived his later years with remarkable grace," Dealing said.
Nash served in the United States Navy in World War II. In 1943, he married Edna Barnes who preceded him in death. In retirement, he married Arnold-Nash and they were married for 24 years.
In 2005, the Nash Family Professional Development Endowment was started. Nash designed it as a discretionary fund for the dean of the College of Education and Human Services.
Arnold-Nash said the fund was started because Nash was always short of money to support the special research that he wanted the department to have access to while he was dean.
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