In Memoriam

Faculty

Alan Davis

Aland Davis, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 13, at age 80.

Dr. Davis joined the faculty at UTA in 1983 as an associate professor with a specialty in RF devices and circuits. He authored or co-authored 49 journal publications and held a U.S. patent with former colleagues Howard Russell and Ron Carter. He also co-authored a book, Radio Frequency Circuit Design, with Krishna Agarwal.

Davis served as graduate advisor for the department for more than 10 years. In 2016, he was in a debilitating accident that left him partially paralyzed. After a yearlong recovery he was able to return to work until his retirement in fall 2021. He was highly regarded by the faculty in the Electrical Engineering Department and by the students he taught and advised.

Ramez Elmasri

Ramez Elmasri, a professor and associate chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, passed away suddenly on May 14.

Dr. Elmasri joined UTA in 1990 as an associate professor and became a professor in 1994. He was an internationally renowned scholar and pioneering researcher in databases, a dedicated educator, an influential teacher, an exemplary role model, and a highly effective faculty leader. For more than three decades, he made invaluable and long-lasting contributions to the department, the College of Engineering, and UTA.

A selection of his previous teaching and research positions includes Bell Communications; visiting professor, University of Zurich; assistant professor and associate professor (tenured), University of Houston; consultant, Honeywell Computer Sciences Center; faculty member, Clarkson University; principal research scientist, Honeywell Inc., Corporate Technology Center; research and teaching assistant, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University; and teaching and research assistant, Computer Science and Automatic Controls Department, Alexandria University.

Don Liles

Don Liles, a longtime faculty member in the Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering (ISME) Department, passed away on Friday, Jan. 7, at age 74. Dr. Liles earned B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from UTA. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1971-74 as a flight simulation instructor.

He began his career as a faculty member at UTA in 1979. He was promoted to associate professor in 1985 and full professor in 1991. During his time on the faculty, he created the Master of Science program in engineering management. Six industrial engineering graduating classes voted him the professor who made the most significant contribution to their education.

Liles led the development of the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC). He also served as associate director of the Automation and Robotics Research Institute (now UTARI) from 1989-98, as director of the institute from 2000-04, and as chair of the IMSE Department from 1998-2012. He was a member of UTA's Faculty Senate for many years. He retired in 2020 and was named professor and chair emeritus in 2021.

Staff

Brenda Sue Perry, 62, April 13, 2021; Athens, Texas. She was an administrative assistant for the Biomedical Engineering Office from 1980-86.

Alumni

Lee Farish ('51 A.S., Electrical Engineering) 89; May 31, 2021; Irving, Texas.

Milton D. Lamm ('65 B.S., Mechanical Engineering) 82, July 26, 2021; Stephenville, Texas.

Don G. Parvin ('66 B.S., Electrical Engineering) 86, Oct. 9, Rockwall, Texas.

Ken Bramlett ('69 B.S., Mechanical Engineering) 74, July 4, 2021; Conroe, Texas.

Gary Michael Brammer ('72 B.S., Electrical Engineering) 72, May 31, 2021; Gainesville, Texas.

Harvey Gene Oppermann ('75 M.S., '71 B.S., Civil Engineering) 73, July 16, 2022; Fort Worth. He spent over 30 years with the Texas Department of Transportation.

Eddie Alberto Aranda Bazan ('80 B.S., Industrial Engineering) 65, July 21, 2021; Dallas.

Vernon Hyliard Sorgee Jr. ('80 M.S., '76 B.S., Civil Engineering;'65 B.S., Physics) 81, June 24, Phoenix, Arizona.

Mark Edward Kerr ('83 B.S., Mechanical Engineering) 64, Oct. 14,Corinth, Texas.

Thomas Christopher Tansil ('91 M.S., Structural Engineering; '90 B.S., Civil Engineering) 54, July 4, 2021; Dallas. An adjunct professor, he taught advanced steel design.

Michael Joseph Dellies ('94 M.S., Civil Engineering) 61, March 22, 2021; Fort Worth.

Mark John Wood ('97 M.S., Marketing Research; '95 M.B.A.; '92 B.S., Computer Science and Engineering) 51, April 26, 2021; Grapevine, Texas.