Colonel (Ret) Dean Herman Jr

Colonel (Ret) Dean A. Herman Jr., US Army passed away unexpectedly on the morning of August 3rd, 2011. Dean was born on June 28, 1938 at Ft. Sill Oklahoma, the only child of Dean Ambrose Herman Sr. and Martha Goodman Herman. As an "Army Brat ", Dean spent much of his youth at various Army posts throughout the U.S. to include a period overseas in China after WWII. He attended high school in El Paso, TX and Lawton, Oklahoma where he lettered in football. After high school, he entered West Point with the Class of 1960 following in the footsteps of his father Dean Sr., Class of 1931and a GGG granddad, Confederate General Jubal Early, Class of 1837. While at West Point, Dean earned academic honors graduating near the top of his class. After commissioning as 2nd Lt Artillery, he immediately attended and completed Airborne and Ranger qualification courses. Dean then served in various positions of responsibility in the Army to include an assignment with the 82nd Airborne Division, a tour in Korea and an assignment as an Artillery Battalion Commander during the Vietnam Conflict. During his Army career, Dean attended Stanford University in California earning a MSEE in 1967 and a PHD in 1975. While at Stanford, he met and married the love of his life Marguerita Zileff who also earned her PHD there. Dean and Marguerita lived at West Point for a number of years where he served on the faculty of the Electrical Engineering Department. He retired from the Army as Deputy Head of this Department in 1986. After retirement Dean and Marguerita moved across the Hudson River to Garrison, NY. Dean started a second career with IBM's Research Division's main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, NY. While at IBM, Dean and a team of researchers developed a new technology, silicon-germanium BiCMOS that at the time yielded the world's fastest silicon integrated circuits. Dean then managed this technology through four generations growing his research team from 30 to 146 engineers and the business to $1B/yr. Dean retired from IBM in 2005 and he and Marguerita moved to Las Cruces in 2007. Throughout his adult life, Dean was a true "renaissance man". He earned a civilian pilot's license, was a competent sailor, SCUBA diver and webmaster, and enjoyed poetry, good books, historically related travel and good conversation. In recent years his passion turned to frequently flying and expanding his collection of scale model aircraft. He held the position of President of the Mesilla Valley Model Airplane Club. Dean is survived by his wife Marguerita Herman and close relatives in El Paso, TX and Los Angeles, CA as well as In-laws in Ontario, Canada. Dean's military decorations include 2 Legion of Merit awards and 2 Bronze Star medals. A visitation for family and friends will be held at La Paz-Graham's Funeral Home 555 W. Amador in Las Cruces from 5 – 7 PM on Sunday August 7, 2011. A funeral service will be conducted at Ft Bliss, TX at Chapel #1 at 9AM on Monday, August 15, 2011 followed by interment in the National Cemetery there near the graves of his parents. In lieu of flowers, request donations be made to the "Wounded Warrior Project" (www.woundedwarriorproject.org – Select Tab Donate Now). A final quote from West Point's Alma Mater seems appropriate. "And when our work is done, our course on earth is run, may it be said well done. Be thou at peace". Well done Dean. To send condolences go to www.lapaz-grahams.com