Dr. Hugh Crean was born in Spa-Tralee, Ireland in 1949, and was one of 9 siblings whose parents were Diarmuid and Margaret Crean. Dr Crean was Art History professor at Adelphi University, Long Island, NY. Prior to his teaching at Adelphi, he was founder and chairman, for eighteen years, of a department of Art Restoration at the State University of New York. He was among other things my esteemed professor. For 4 semesters, Dr Crean had weekly classes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which allowed scholars to enter behind the velvet ropes. Hugh was a Charasmatic, Outgoing and Hilariously Funny person (with a serious side) who connected with people through Art and the appreciation of Art. Being part of the Art Auction (Dr Crean's Inception) at the State University of New York).
Dr Crean's film "Arch of Glory" (which he produced, researched, wrote and directed)on the history and restoration of one of America's most important Civil War monuments was aired on PBS. He had professional interest in the areas of museum studies, connoisseurship, and art collecting. In addition, shortly before his death, he was preparing a book for publication entitled "Defining Moments: Restoration and the Construction of National Identity in the Nineteenth Century". In addition, as President of Heritage Productions International LLC, he worked with PBS on the development of documentary programs on art. He was the recent recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant (2007)in support of a television documentary series on art collecting in the United States. He was a contractual lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he has given gallery talks and lectures for 28 years. Recently he restored an elegant and historically important, nineteenth-century New York City brownstone residence. The work was praised by architectural historians and preservationists for its accuracy and attention to period detail.It was even featured in: "This Old House". He received honors as: Frick Fellow in Art History 1985 as well as SUNY Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Classroom Faculty in 2002. He was featured in the PBS series "The Collectors: Art Collecting and Philanthropy in the United States." Dr Crean's Funeral services was held on Long Island at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM. He was eulogized by his brother, as well as his companion with Horatio's final parting words "May flights of Angels sing thee to Thy rest".