Dean Donovan: A Native Son Comes Home
A native Delawarean, Dean was born and raised in Milford. “I had to move away from Delaware and then move back years later in order to truly appreciate what I left.”
Dean’s father was a teacher who brought the family to Rehoboth every summer. He was also a classically trained pianist and opera singer. Dean’s mother worked at the local Leggett Department Store, and was a naturally gifted “honky-tonk gospel style” piano player who could pick out any tune by ear. Dean’s brother Jan (“Jan and Dean,” get it?) would go on to earn his doctorate and is now in private education in Chicago.
Music was always Dean’s number one interest, and though he longed to be a pianist, he became “a really great clarinet player.” Dean’s talents took him to county band, state band, and concert band; he also learned to play the contrabass. Raised in the church, he also discovered his budding vocal skills in the choir.
After graduating from Milford High School, Dean’s musical talents earned an offer to attend the renowned Boston Conservatory at Berklee. However, as Dean says, “Well, it was the ‘70s, and there was just so much fun to be had,” so he said, “no,” to Berklee and went off “in search of fun.”
After several months of “fun,” his parents made Dean an offer: spend a year attending their alma mater Lee University, a Christian college in Cleveland, Tennessee, and then he would be free to go and do whatever his heart desired. Dean agreed, and spent four years at Lee University where he took voice lessons and was a member of the Lee Singers traveling performance choir. They performed at celebrated venues including The Kennedy Center, and Constitution Hall. It was during this time that Dean discovered that there was “something different” about himself, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
In 1978, Dean moved back to Delaware and began selling cars at Boulevard Ford. He also got married, and with his wife and daughter Tiffany Walter (now a Milford resident) moved to Lynchburg. His son Paul-Michael Donovan was born in Newport News six years later and now lives in Longneck.
After ten years, their marriage ended, and they went their separate ways. Dean took a job with the May Department stores, parent company of the now-gone Hecht’s, resulting in a move to Arlington, VA, then later Annapolis, as manager of the new men’s prototype department. He then joined Bally of Switzerland, a Swiss luxury fashion company, and relocated to Southern California. From there it was back to the D.C. area, where he was manager of the Tysons’s Corner store, and also Corporate Sales Trainer, training new employees for Rodeo Drive, Madison Ave, Costa Mesa, and Boston.
While in D.C. Dean sang with the Gay Men’s Chorus of D.C. and continued for several years after he moved back to Delaware. He was in the choir for the Kennedy Center Honors for Elizabeth Taylor and when Barbara Cook performed.
Around this time he met Deepak Chopra and began to rethink his life and goals. He studied with Deepak, travelling with him to Costa Rica and became a meditation counselor, a position he still holds. He became interested in various Eastern religions, met Guru Ganesha Singh and became a follower of Sihk Dharma. Dean and his partner moved back to D.C., then to Boston where the partnership ended in 1999. Thus began his journey “back” to Delaware and to the beach.
Dean moved back to Milford to help care for his ailing father until his passing in 2004. After meeting his partner and future husband Bill Lucks, Dean moved to Lewes where they opened a commercial real estate firm, Commercial Sales Group, focusing on land and site acquisitions for CVS Pharmacies. Things were going well…but then in 2007 came the financial meltdown. “We were a small boutique company, it became impossible for us to stay afloat,” said Dean, and so he and Bill closed the business, and subsequently ended their partnership. In the ensuing years, he sold real estate for Ocean Atlantic/Sotheby’s, Long & Foster and he now works with The Lisa Mathena Group. “Lisa believed in me, and has been amazing.”
Dean credits Bob Hoffer and Max Dick with helping him “get out of the doldrums” after his divorce. He began seeing his current partner Thom Pemberton, after musical director Doug Yetter convinced him to perform “You Raise Me Up” with the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus. Dean and Thom are currently music directors for Metropolitan Community Church of Rehoboth.
Also an amazing photographer, Dean’s works have been displayed at Epworth Methodist Church, on Headline News, and an exhibition is planned for the Rehoboth Beach Library.
“My dream was always to find my way back to California; I never saw Delaware as a place to come back to. Now that I am back here, it has been one of the greatest gifts of my life,” says Dean. “My inspiration is the beauty here in places that, growing up, I took for granted: Slaughter Beach, the Ghost Forest at Fowler Beach, Trap Pond, Abbott’s Mill.” Dean often photographs his favorite places, revealing the beauty in everything. “Some people might look at a crumbling factory building and see the rotting wood; I see an incredible view of the surrounding land. The beauty is here, if you want to see it.”
Dean has continued sharing his spiritual gifts as well, having lectured at the “Summer Spirituality Series” at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes. He is currently starting a new meditation group in Milford, and was instrumental in bringing to the beach the Guru Ganesha Band and Mirabai Ceiba. In addition, Dean is currently developing a one-man show tentatively titled Jesus on Broadway. He and Thom also enjoy time spent with Dean’s grandchildren, as well as their weekly Sunday brunch at the Purple Parrot.
Dean, we are inspired by your gifts and insights and thankful you chose to come back to the beach.