By Rebecca Billman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A memorial service for Derek E. Dunn, acting associate director of science for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), will be noon Saturday at Willing Spirit Baptist Church in Westwood.

Dr. Dunn, 56, a Cincinnati native and Florence, Ind., resident, died Dec. 20 from complications of surgery.

A member of Walnut Hills High School's Class of 1964, he made outstanding contributions to the prevention of occupational hearing loss and served as a mentor to many other scientists.

He held bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Cincinnati, and in 1972 he became the first person to receive a doctorate in UC's then-new speech and hearing program.

Dr. Dunn was also an adjunct professor at UC and at Miami University.

He grew up in South Cumminsville, the oldest of four children. Serious and methodical, he kept busy studying solutions to problems and how to best organize things, according to his youngest brother, Philip Dunn, who still lives in South Cumminsville.

For example, as a child, Dr. Dunn meticulously labeled and cataloged his baseball card collection.

"Derek always had that enthusiasm to learn and to try to figure out everything," his brother said. "When we were kids, he would be in bed with a flashlight and a cover over him. He was always in books."

Dr. Dunn also enjoyed spending time on his farm in Quercus Grove in Switzerland County, Ind. "He was just about at the point to get it just like he wanted it," his brother said. "Any kind of new farm equipment he got - it was like a new toy.

"He worked at everything hard. If it was in the books, he worked hard at it. If it was hard labor, he worked at that too."

In addition to his brother Philip, survivors include: his companion of 34 years, Jean Callahan; a sister, Melody Sparks of Western Hills; and another brother, Kenneth Dunn of Northside.

The family will hold an informal reception at 11 a.m. Saturday at Willing Spirit Baptist Church, 2012 Westwood-Northern Blvd. The memorial service will follow at noon.

Memorials: Dr. Derek E. Dunn Scholarship Fund, University of Cincinnati Foundation, P.O. Box 19970, Cincinnati, OH 45219-0970.

E-mail rbillman@enquirer.com