Richard R. Ranta sits relaxed in his office, which is a mixture of work and home. Papers scattered about, works of literature resting on the shelves and photos of grandchildren lining the walls.
Next to the door is a framed poster with hundreds of signatures – a get well soon gift from his openheart surgery.
“To the Lion Hearted Richard,” it reads. Raising up his arms and letting out a sigh, his sandy grey hair flops on his face and his golden watch inches down his arm.
It’s been a typically busy Friday for the dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at the University of Memphis, with early morning emails, a breakfast appointment, a meeting of the deans of provost, a lunch appointment, an interview with a candidate for a cello position and a minor problem in the art museum.
And it’s only 3 p.m. More emails and meetings are soon to come, followed by an evening appearance at the U of M’s art gallery.
This isn’t just Ranta’s Friday schedule. It’s his five-day-a-week schedule.
“Sometimes I’ll get home and eat dinner at 10 [p.m.],” Ranta said.
It’s a busy life, and one that will likely calm down when Ranta, the dean of the college since its foundation in 1977, retires on June 30.
Going over his 39 years as the dean and 44 years at the university, Ranta notes the curveballs he’s had to overcome.
“Mother Nature’s tried to kill me several times,” Ranta said laughing.
He refers to his injuries and illnesses over the years, which have always temporarily slowed, but never stopped him.
The list includes cancer, open heart surgery and the West Nile virus, which he contracted about 15 years ago.
“I got bitten by a mosquito apparently,” Ranta said. “I’d gone to see my physicians. I told them I wasn’t feeling well, and that I think I have West Nile. They didn’t think much of my diagnosis until the test came back. There were five cases of West Nile in Shelby County, and apparently I was one of them.”
But Ranta, as usual, quickly recovered, and was soon back on campus serving students.
“He demonstrates personal concern for others and shows genuine interest in what our students are doing,” Becky McCoy, Ranta’s administrative assistant for the past year and a half, said.
And the dean is heavily involved off campus as well.
“I think it’s very important for a person in this position to be engaged in the community, to be out at artistic events and to be involved with those organizations,” Ranta said. “I think I have served on, in some capacity, a board of just about every major art organization.”
Considering his hectic work schedule, Ranta’s list of side projects is quite a feat.
He creates the questions for Channel 3’s Knowledge Bowl for the past thirty years.
He had a speaking role in the Tom Cruise film “The Firm,” as well as the U of M student film “I Was a Zombie for the FBI.” He’s also appeared in “The Rainmaker,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and “The Client.”
He’s been involved with the Grammys since 1983, where he works on the scripts and video graphics. He’s also a member and trustee of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and personally knows several celebrities, including the late B.B. King.
“I had a great relationship with him for a very long time,” Ranta said. “It was always funny because whenever he was at a club performing and I would come in, even right in the middle of a song, he would say, ‘How ya doin’, doc?’ That never failed to impress people I was with.”
After retirement Ranta plans on reading more, playing more tennis and seeing an occasional movie. He and his wife Carol, a recently retired art history professor from U of M, also plan on taking a cruise from Barcelona, Spain, where they will tour the Mediterranean islands and Lisbon.
But even with his more glamorous ventures, the University of Memphis will always have a place in Ranta’s heart.
“I’m going to miss the people,” Ranta said. “The interactions. There’s a lot of good folks here."
