Bradley Scott “Brad” McDearman, an urban economic development official who advised cities, died of cancer Dec. 3 at Gilchrist Center in Towson. The Wyman Park resident was 61.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he was the son of Robert “Bob” McDearman, a materials control handler, and Sue Workman, a bank teller. He grew up on nearby Brownsboro Farms and was a Ballard High School graduate.
He earned a business administration degree at the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.
He initially sold fax machines for Xerox and then took a year off to travel, study and immerse himself in German culture at the Goethe-Institut in Germany.
Mr. McDearman then received master’s degrees in business and city planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Brad was brilliant and hilarious. A well-respected professional in the field of economic development and adviser to over 30 cities, his genius was in friendship,” said a friend, Carter Michel Brigham.
“He was rarely motivated by wealth and material possessions. He had a threadbare UNC sweatshirt, holey jeans and an ancient car,” said his godson, Greer Brigham.
Mr. McDearman moved to Baltimore and became vice president of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, now known as the Greater Baltimore Committee, a nonprofit focused on economic growth. He was also a Brookings Institution nonresident senior fellow.
His brother, Kevin McDearman, said: “Brad was outgoing and had an infectious personality. He maintained lifelong friendships with legions of wonderful people he met throughout his life. He loved people and spent a lot of time connecting his friends, family and associates to each other.”
In a 2007 Sun story, he said Baltimore’s image as a Rust Belt, blue-collar city was still present, despite the city transitioning to a place where medical jobs had replaced old heavy industrial positions.
“Often in the national media, we [Baltimore] continue to be lumped in with what we were 30 years ago,” he told the paper.
Ryan Donahue, a colleague and business partner, wrote in an email: “Over a nearly 10-year period, [Brad] shaped the way that Brookings worked with cities. Brad brought research out into the world to inspire behavior change, and brought insights from the frontlines back to Brookings to help shape its research agenda.”
“He was happiest engaging one-on-one with people,” Mr. Donahue said.
Mr. McDearman started a tradition of Octoberfest alley parties in the Wyman Park neighborhood.
“He would pull in the people to decorate and get the bratwurst from real German places,” said Lauren Abramson, a neighbor. “Other times we had a film night out in the alley.”
Mr. McDearman also ran a consulting business, Brad McDearman and Associates.
He was a member of New Providence Presbyterian Church in New Providence, New Jersey, and the Faith Christian Fellowship Church in Baltimore.
He enjoyed walking the Stony Run trail near his house, running the stairs on the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus and kayaking on the Chesapeake Bay.
Survivors include his mother, Sue Workman McDearman, of Louisville, Kentucky; three brothers, David McDearman, of Cincinnati, Alan McDearman, of Louisville, and Kevin McDearman, of Louisville; six nieces and nephews; a grand-niece; and eight godchildren.
Services are pending in his hometown of Louisville and in Baltimore.
