Mark Dean, the John Fisher Distinguished Professor in the College of Engineering and an icon of computer science, was profiled by Knoxville’s NBC affiliate WBIR as part of their “Hometown Hero” series.
The series, which looks at East Tennessee natives who have shaped the world around us, chose Dean for his contributions to modern computing and his start in a then-segregated Jefferson City.
The story highlighted Dean’s advanced knowledge and love of mathematics in particular.
“I was doing fourth grade math in the first grade,” Dean told the station.
Dean later helped pioneer many aspects of personal computing while at IBM—including color monitors and the ability to connect devices to the PC—and was later named an IBM Fellow, the company’s highest honor.
The story and video can be seen at WBIR