Richard Roy Renner

Richard Roy Renner, 91, a professor emeritus of Comparative Education at the University of Florida, died peacefully with his family by his side on April 9 at Harbor Chase assisted living center in Gainesville, Fla.
He liked to say that he was born on the Gettysburg Battlefield, just west of where the Union Army’s 11th Corps was positioned, and indeed he was, although by Aug. 22, 1927, a hospital stood on that spot. His parents were Gertrude E. (Enck) and Roy D. Renner.
He grew up near Gettysburg, in Littlestown, Pa., a community with deep German roots that he left as a young adult but held in fond regard his entire life. During high school there he worked in a shoe factory, a vegetable canning factory, and on his father’s farm. He also put hundreds of miles on his bicycle, and at age 15 he and a friend hitch-hiked to Florida and back.
In 1945, upon graduating from high school, he entered the Army and was stationed at Los Alamos, N.M. There he served as a firefighter at the top-secret S-Site. During that time he developed an appreciation for the Southwest that later influenced his academic interest in Latin American studies. Following his military service he earned a Bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College, a Master’s in Inter-American Affairs from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Education from the University of Texas.
He began his academic career directing the Division of Latin American Education at Penn State, and then joined the University of Florida Foundations of Education faculty in 1965. Teaching comparative education took him around the world — through Fulbright awards and other programs — to South America, Australia, India, the Netherlands, and 37 countries in all. Foreign students often wound up as Thanksgiving guests at his home. He retired from the University of Florida in 2003.
He enjoyed canoeing and sailing North Florida’s rivers and lakes; he was curious about the world (always game to try unconventional foods, for instance); liked vigorous debate; was engaged in public affairs; and had faith that writing letters to the editor had an impact. His sense of humor remained into his 91st year.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elisabeth (Wood), whom he met while they were both involved in community theater in Washington, D.C. Also surviving are their children Lisanne (Adam Grace) of Montclair, N.J.; and Russell (Margaret) and Randall of Gainesville; his sister, Nancy Beimler, of Hanover, Pa.; and grandchildren Phoebe and Julian Grace. He also valued the companionship of cats throughout his life, most recently that of Rosie.
The family would like to thank Harbor Chase, Haven Hospice and Suzanna Hough for their attentive and thoughtful care. Crevasse's Simple Cremation is honored to serve the Renner family.