Oscar G. Brockett, a former theater instructor and professor emeritus at UT, will be honored with a memorial service on Dec. 11 in the B. Iden Payne Theatre in the F. Loren Winship Drama Building.

“He was a beloved figure to many of his colleagues and former students,” said Douglas Dempster, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “He was also, to his very last day, a tough-minded scholar with a resolute faith in letting history speak for itself through the voice of unbiased research.”

His books, especially “History of the Theatre,” published in 1968, made him one of the world’s foremost theater historians — his work was translated into more than a dozen languages.

“Oscar Brockett was a prolific scholar of theater history who defined the field through his scholarly monographs, textbooks, ubiquitous speaking schedule and his many decades of teaching,” Dempster said.

Brockett won a book award at the Hamilton Awards sponsored by the University Cooperative Society.

“His last, encyclopedic treatment of the history of theatrical design, ‘Making the Scene,’ was published only a year ago,” Dempster said. “He was an inspiration, a thoughtful mentor and a dear friend to me.”

Friends will have the opportunity to speak at the memorial and photos and tributes will be collected for the family.