Dr. Douglas Junious DePriest,Ph.D.

Dr. Douglas J. DePriest entered into this world June 9, 1944 to James and Octavia(Christian) DePriest in Henrico County, Virginia.He went home to be with the Lord on October12,2009. “Doug,” as Dr. DePriest was affectionately known to his family and friends, was the youngest son of 13 children. It was very obvious that he loved all of his sisters and brothers equally and that they loved and admired him. He attended Virginia Randolph High School and was a proud graduate of the class of 1962. Secondary school was followed by four years at Hampton University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.While at Hampton University,he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.,was elected Senior Class President, and was a member of Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society. In 1968, he received an M.S. degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Tennessee. Six years later, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Statistics from American University in Washington,DC. Dr.DePriest was blessed to marry and have three children: Marcía, Kraig and Delmar, all of whom adored him. He has been described as an exemplary father who was consistently and deeply involved in their lives. He encouraged and supported their academic success, musical and athletic abilities. He was known in his community as the “cool” parent who made sure that neighborhood youth had plenty of food and fun. Dr. DePriest worked as a Deputy for Special Programs for the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Virginia. In addition, he taught several courses in Mathematics at the Naval Academy and American University. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the United States Army.In 1985, Dr. DePriest accepted a position with General Electric Lighting in Cleveland, Ohio as Manager and Consulting Engineer.His responsibilities included supervising the Engineer Recruitment Program. While working for both the Government and G. E.Lighting he traveled to Europe, China, Indonesia, India, Chile, and Brazil developing and publishing materials and training global teams. Dr. DePriest returned to his Hampton academic roots in 1999 when he accepted a position as Associate Professor of Mathematics at Hampton University. In 2005, he became the Assistant Dean of the School of Science as well as Chair of the Mathematics Department. He was appointed Acting Dean of the School of Science in 2008. Dr. DePriest was truly dedicated to developing exemplary academic programs and consistently encouraged faculty and student excellence. As an avid lover of research, his interests included statistical data analysis,design of experiments, product safety and reliability analysis and mathematical modeling.Dr. DePriest was President of Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society and the Editor-in-Chief of the Beta Kappa Chi Bulletin. He received multiple awards from NASA, General Electric and the Office of Naval Research and was the author of numerous articles in academic journals. In 2007, Dr. DePriest was inducted into the prestigious Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity – Grand Boulé.To unwind, one of his favorite activities was gardening. He grew a variety of flowers, fruits and vegetables and giving them away provided as much personal joy for him as growing them. He was also an ardent sports fan and always enjoyed a lively debate on winning strategies.In every setting, Doug was the life of the party. Daddi was a down-to earth, genuine, fun-loving person with a wonderful sense of humor that was infectious. He always made time to help others and he was loved by all who knew him. He was preceded in death and met in heaven by his son, Delmar. Left to cherish their precious memories are his caring and devoted children, Marcía(Brian), and Kraig (Monica),his adoring granddaughters,Kamile and Kallie, his loving fiancée,Dr. Linda Malone-Colon; his amorous seven sisters,Arniece Cheatham, Evelyn Senion, Louise Barge,Ruby Haithcoach, Rev. Jean Flannagan (Rev. James Flannagan), Arletha Wells and Linda Parham (Mack); two fond brothers,Carlton DePriest and Warren DePriest (Audrey),and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and students.

Tributes

Dr. Douglas Junious DePriest,Ph.D.

June 9, 1944 - October 12, 2009