Cecil C. Brett

Cecil Carter Brett, age 90, of Monmouth, Illinois, passed away at his residence in Galesburg, Illinois on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 5:15 pm. Cecil was born on November 4, 1917 in Alberta, Canada, the son of Richard Henry and Margaret May Carter Brett. He served with the Intelligence Corps of the British Army in India, Burma, Malaya and Hong Kong from 1945 to 1947. Following the war, he earned his bachelors degree from the University of British Columbia. His subsequent master's thesis for the University of Washington was entitled "The History of the Burma Siam Railway: Japanese Rule in Malaysia." He went on to earn his PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. From 1956 through 1959, he was Assistant to the Coordinator of the Thailand Public Administration Program at Indiana University in Bloomington, and from 1959 through 1962 served as Chief Advisor and Visiting Professor in the Institute of Public Administration at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. He married Jean Moffat of Bloomington, IN on November 21, 1959 in Bangkok. She preceded him in death on October 20, 1999. Brett came to Monmouth College in 1963 to direct the college's new East Asian Studies Program. He also developed the Great Decisions Program in 1981. A forum where the public and academic community meets to discuss world affairs. This program is still active today at Monmouth College. He retired from teaching in 1983. In 1986 he was awarded the Royal Decoration of Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand by the Prime Minister of Thailand. Brett was also a member of the Monmouth Rotary Club and the Gourmet Club. He enjoyed golfing, espionage novels, his Standard Poodles, spending time with his family at their cabin in Good Harbor Bay on Lake Michigan, and playing the organ and piano. Surviving are his son Richard Brett and Heather of Laurinburg, North Carolina and one sister, Mary Smail, of Vancouver, British Columbia. Services:Cremation has been accorded. A memorial service will be on May 19, 2008 at 11:00 a.m., at Turnbull Funeral Home in Monmouth. For more information please visit, www.turnbullfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, the following Memorial Funds have been set up in Cecil Brett's name: Monmouth College (Please make checks payable to "Monmouth College: Cecil Brett Memorial Fund") 700 East Broadway, Monmouth, IL 61462. OR Hospice of Galesburg (Please make checks payable to "OSF Hospice in Memory of Cecil Brett") 3333 North Seminary Street, Galesburg, IL 61401