Brian was born in Sedgely, Staffordshire, United Kingdom on February 16, 1934. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire and Acton County Grammar School, Acton, Middlesex, now the Ark Acton Academy. He graduated from University College, London, with a B.Sc. in Economics degree with first class honors in 1955. With a Fulbright scholarship he went on to the University of Washington where he completed an M.A. in 1956, and a Ph.D. in 1958, studying under noted geographer and leader of the "quantitative revolution," William Garrison, in the Department of Geography.
After completing his Ph.D, Brian married Janet Elizabeth Shapley in Keyport, WA on September 8 ,1958. Upon completing his Ph.D., Brian was appointed to the faculty at the University of Chicago, rising to the position of Irving B. Harris Professor of Urban Geography, geography department chair and director of the Center for Urban Studies, positions that he held until 1976.
During this time his urban and regional research sparked geography’s social-scientific revolution and made him the most-cited geographer for more than 25 years, known for his refinement of central place theory and for laying the foundations of analytic urban geography, of spatial analysis and of geographic information science. In 1965 he acquired dual US-UK citizenship. Since 1990 his studies have focused on long-wave-theory and its relationships to macro-historical phasing of economic development and political behavior.
From 1976 to 1981 Berry was the Frank Backus Williams Professor of City and Regional Planning in the Graduate School of Design, chair of the PhD Program in Urban Planning and professor in sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, director of the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis and a faculty fellow of the Institute for International Development at Harvard, and following that was appointed University Professor of Urban Studies and Public Policy and dean of the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University for a period of 5 years.
In 1986 he joined the University of Texas at Dallas, occupying the Lloyd Viel Berkner Regional Professorship, and becoming founding dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences. Among his honors, Berry was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1975 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1976. He is also a Fellow of the British Academy and University College, London. He was the 1978-79 President of the Association of American Geographers, and among many other awards and recognitions, in 1988 he was awarded the Victoria Medal from the Royal Geographical Society.
In 1999 he was elected a member of the Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 2004 was a founding member of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science (TAMEST), later serving on its council. In 2005 he was named the Lauréat Prix International de Géographie Vautrin Lud, (the "Nobel Prize of Geography") and became a Fellow on the American Institute of Certified Planners, followed thereafter by Fellowship in the Regional Science Association International.
In 2017 the International N.D. Kondratieff Foundation named him a Kondratieff Medal Laureate and in 2020, still active, the American Association of Geographers gave him the Stan Brunn Award for Scholarly Creativity.
Brian authored over 550 books and articles. During his career he also has been advisor to more than 150 new PhDs and has served on an equal number of other doctoral committees. Many of his students have gone on to successful academic and professional careers in their own right. He also has been an active family historian and genealogist, with many additional publications to his name, most recently delving into genetic genealogy. Brian retired from active academic life to become a “gentleman rancher” in 2020.
Brian is survived by: his wife, Janet (Shapley) Berry; son, Duncan J. Berry of Dodd City, TX; daughter, Diane Berry Yakel of Dodd City, TX; son-in-law, Robert Yakel of Dodd City, TX “daughter of the heart”, Karen Lyons of Dillwyn, VA; niece, Jessica Shibles of Winterport, ME; granddaughter, Alison Castaldo of New Windsor, NY; grandson, Matthew Berry of Dodd City, TX; granddaughter, Jennifer Whitman of Ridgewood, NY; grandson, Brian Berry of Dodd City, TX; grandson, Jack Sisson of Ashburnham, MA; son-in-law, Richard Sisson of Ashburnham MA; daughter-in-law, Magaret “Peggy” Sisson, of Ashburnham, MA; grandson, Jacob Dye of McKinney, TX; grandson, Jonathon Yakel of Irving, TX; and granddaughter, Jessica Yakel of Fort Worth, TX. In addition, Brian is survived by: nephew, Andrew Cale of London, UK; niece, Madeline Aslan of Melbourne, Australia; niece, Jaqueline Williams of Auckland, New Zealand; niece Sara Cale, of Auckland, New Zealand; and niece, Lisa Cale of Auckland, New Zealand.
Brian is preceded in death by his father, Joe Berry and mother, Gwedoline Alice (Lobley) Berry; father-in-law, Loyd Shapley, and mother-in-law, Frances Shapley; sister, Susan Cale; Brother-in-law, John Cale; daughter, Carol Berry Sisson; aunt, Mabel Jones; brother-in-law, Donald Shapley, and sister-in-law, Joanne Shapley.
Arrangements are under Wise Funeral Home in Bonham, TX. The family will celebrate Brian’s life at home, in private. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.
