Lieutenant J.G. Donald J. Dessart, USNR

Class of 1950

Lieutenant J.G. Dessart graduated from the University of Wisconsin on June 16, 1950. He was stationed on the USS LOS ANGELES (CA 135) during the Korea War. He served for 3 years, including 18 months in the Korean Combat Zone. The LOS ANGELES was the flagship for Rear Admiral Arleigh Burke. He was released from active duty in June of 1953 and served for eight more years in the Reserves.

Upon release he returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a master's degree. He spent seven years in SUNY, Oneota, New York and then completed a PhD at the University of Maryland. He joined the faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1962 where he taught Mathematics and Education.

In his 40 plus years at the University of Tennessee as a professor in the Department of Science, Mathematics, Research and Technology, he was the recipient of four major awards: the John Tunstall Award as Outstanding Faculty Member in 1986, in 1988 and again in 1989, and the Excellence in Humanity and Teaching Award 1n 1995. for his service from 1950 to the present, Dessart has received numerous other awards including the recent Helen B. Watson Faculty/Student Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2000. He was elected Macebearer for the University of Tennessee for the years 1998-1999, which includes giving commencement addresses, and is considered the highest honor that can be bestowed on a faculty member.

During his career, Dessart has written more than 60articles, one of which is perhaps the most frequently cited research article on the relationship between calculator use and student achievement. He co-authored the article, Effects of Hand-Held Calculators in Precollege Mathematics Education: A Meta-Analysis, which was published in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education in 1986.

Dessart has served on the Board of the Tennesse Mathematics Teachers Association as Vice President and President. Although retired in 2000, he teaches a class in statistics and chairs doctoral committees for students at the University of Tennessee. He also continues to make presentations at regional conferences and annual meetings.